Knit no jutsu!
by Niullum
Summary: She wakes up in a stranger's body, with memories of another life and the opportunity to alter fate. With the exception that she isn't a ninja, but a civilian in her mid-twenties. Now, she will have to face the dangers that lurk in Konohagakure no Sato with nothing more than her stubborn will to survive until she finds her way back home. (An SI/OC story).
1. Chapter 1

_12/8 Special thanks to 100pureawesomeness for proofreading!_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

She wakes up gasping for air, wanting to never feel the water fill her lungs again. Her last memory is of being repeatedly submerged by water until she didn't have the strength to raise her head again, wishing she'd never opened the door on Tuesday night when she mistakenly thought it was the delivery guy and it was her friendly neighbor, who turned out to be a sociopath and a serial killer.

Now, all she feels is the desire to flee. She grasps whatever object she's currently resting in with force and counts to ten. Anything to make her heart stop beating so fast or else she'll faint again, and she cannot allow that to happen.

The guy could be lurking around.

She keeps her eyes shut while part of her hands is shaking in fear because if the serial killer is in indeed there, lurking to see if she survived the torture, she won't stand a chance. She didn't stand a chance the first time fleeing and now, light-headed?

_Ah! _Killing her this time would be a piece of cake.

So yeah, she prefers playing dead until the killer leaves. Except that this time, there isn't silence. There is some...type of buzzing sound. No, more like a constant sound coming in some sort of...pattern? Yeah, that gets her attention.

Carefully, she takes her time, opening her eyes. To realize seconds later, that she isn't in her house anymore or in her bathroom covered in blood where the killer took his time defiling her, but a hospital with white walls and there's an IV sticking into her arm.

_Safe._

She's safe.

Safe. Safe. Safe.

She sighs in relief, sagging back into the bed and faintly registering the machine beeping. She's okay. She's _alive,_ and that's more than she could ask for. But it's only when the door opens, and a nurse comes to check on her that she notices something.

The nurse's hair is _blue._

And he's speaking in _Japanese._

She blinks, trying to compute all the sudden rush of information. Trying, with every single neuron she has left, to distinguish if this a product of her imagination or it's her dying and her body is making her hallucinate to cope with the death.

So, she does one thing.

She _screams._

And strangely so, the screams don't match her voice.

* * *

The woman is confused, the ANBU perched on the tree concludes. Not that it should surprise him at this point considering the number of injuries the woman sustained from the attack, but it's the screaming that bothers him.

Luckily, he doesn't have to wait too much more because the nurse ends up sedating her. The target slumps in seconds and the ANBU waits until the nurse goes and fetches the doctor doing rounds. He does three distinct hang-signs and he's right next to her. He hides his chakra so he can hear the doctor and nurse talking without them noticing him.

The mission is quite simple indeed; approach the target and study whether her memory is compromised or not. If it isn't, then the woman will be quietly transferred into the Torture and Interrogation Force division by the end of the night, where Yamanaka-san can safely extract her memories again. A crucial thing, since she's the only adult that survived the attack at the orphanage a day ago.

An attack, that in less than fifteen minutes, left them with ten caretakers, forty children and twenty-five babies _dead. _Even the ANBU squad, who were guarding the nine-tails host, weren't enough to stop it and it took the whole ANBU department to effectively disperse them.

So, they need her memories to track the ninja that tried to kill the nine-tailed host and form a plan. But this time with more precaution, since the first time Yamanaka-San did the technique the woman ended up convulsing. Leading her straight into the Hospital.

Hopefully this time, they will manage to make it before the civilian dies. It's normal for them to die when a mind transferring technique is involved, since their dormant chakra bodies aren't accustomed to chakra altering techniques.

But does that matter to him?

No.

_Anything for Konoha._

* * *

They tell her that her name is Wanatabe Kita and she immediately refuses. She tries to voice out her concerns, but the doctor keeps addressing her as Kii-chan or Kii-san or whatever the hell he thinks he's doing. They tell her that she recently turned 25 last spring and that she works for the local orphanage. Her brain doesn't agree with that, because she has memories of working in a library and checking out magazines; reading books to patrons and teaching kids how to read.

Not an _orphanage._

She tries to show them they're mistaking her with someone else, but they don't listen. They tell her that it's common for victims to end up losing their memories and that her relative will come to pick her up after they wait for the results of the latest exams, so she waits in the room.

Is this a nightmare? Or a dream? She hopes it's the last one. That maybe this is a product of her imagination and David will come to pick her up. While it's been five years since she divorced David, they had ended up on good terms. So much that he was still his emergency contact, ever since her extreme conservative family broke contact with her after she got out of the closet and finished her divorce.

The moment she sees who's on the other side of the room she starts crying. Because her friend is not there, but a granny in her seventies, who greets with a kiss on the cheek and takes her "home".

Something is wrong here.

* * *

It takes five minutes for her to immediately hate her "house" even if it's a two-floor house, with two bathrooms and a big backyard. Because well...she doesn't know where to even start since the house...has seen better days.

The walls have massive cracks, the roof has a giant hole, there's an ant infestation somewhere in the kitchen, there is a room where she can't enter due to the number of things in there and don't even let her get started on the second floor. There's so much clutter everywhere.

Like _everywhere._

So much clutter, making her OCD start shrieking with horror. It takes a lot of her to close the door after seeing the new ecosystem developing in the fridge, and the bathroom is in such a bad state that she almost barfs after finishing to clean her hands.

This is not her house; her mind screams after inspecting all the backyard full of more garbage. Because while she did have a busy life, she always had the time to clean her house, so this? This isn't her. She's not Wanatabe Kita.

She wants to run and never see this house again. Preferably set it on fire and clean it with bleach until no germ or garbage can trigger her OCD and run far away. But it's the way the grandma is looking at her makes her eventually not flee or burn the house altogether.

She's being always weak for human interaction.

The grandma, well she doesn't know what to think of her exactly. She's patient, that's for sure. The grandma doesn't raise her voice when she asks questions twice or even looks annoyed or worried when she admits she isn't her Kita.

She makes her tea instead. Green tea to be precise, and for being an elderly woman she makes some great bomb-ass tea. It doesn't even taste bitter. They use one of the many cardboard boxes laying around as a dining table and they drink in silence.

She appreciates it.

The grandma introduces herself as Wanatabe Tamiko, the leader of the family. How they're the last two Wanatabe members since an accident a month ago killed most of their members and how the house, they currently live is a new one after their traditional family house got destroyed. And Tamiko keeps talking to her in that sweet grandmother's way that she hasn't heard ever since her family kicked her out. How long... five...four years?

She doesn't remember it that well.

So, she sits and makes the granny company. She learns that while the Wanatabe's family used to be relatively wealthy, they are now struggling to make money after burying fifty members. How Tamiko used the last part of her savings and her retirement pension to buy this house. That Tamiko's medication is expensive and her advance arthritis has forced her to stay at home.

How Kita (not her, never her because _she's not Kita) _is the only one that works, effectively shattering her hopes that the doctor was wrong. Kita does works at an orphanage. The _only _orphanage in whatever place she's in.

"You love kids Kita-chan," Tamiko croaks after refilling their cups with more tea and giving her another smile. She drinks it in one whole gulp. Then Tamiko's face hardens with something like grief, "You have always wanted to have kids."

She wants to ask her more about that, but Tamiko places her wrinkly hands over hers and says.

"Kita," She starts, with another smile that for some reason makes her feel a sudden lump in the back of her throat. "I know these past months have been hard for you, that I won't lie. I know I haven't been much help to you since."

Tamiko opens her mouth to finish the sentence, her tongue moves aimlessly, as she struggles to form words. but in the end, she changes routes.

"Since _that,_ but no matter how many difficulties come along the way, family sticks together. I'll always be there for you," Tamiko finishes and she feels something sliding from her face. _Tears,_ her mind supplies when she raises her hands to wipe them away.

"Okay grandma," She whispers. Later that night, she starts forming a plan while trying not to vomit in the yellowish-pillow her head is resting. She's not Wanatabe Kita and this is not her house, and that is something she needs to figure out.

But Tamiko is Kita's grandmother.

And for some strange reason, she feels guilty at the thought of leaving her behind.

* * *

All that gets out the window, the moment she opens the fridge again and finds something green _moving._

Fuck the grandma, she needs to get out of here and _fast._

* * *

"The doctor told me you shouldn't do strenuous activity Kii-chan," The grandma says to her the next day while she stretches her back and crouches again, not before dumping the sponge in the bucket, and eyes the toilet.

The only thing left in the bathroom that needs to be cleansed and baptized with _bleach._

"It's just cleaning grandmother," She says but for some reason, the word "_Obaa-san" _keeps lingering in her head. She'll need to ask later about the word when her hands are no longer stinging, and her eyes are not watering over the strong smell of bleach.

And when she can stop being preoccupied over Tamiko or her catching something due to this filth. More if this is the only bathroom that's near Tamiko's room. She won't let the poor grandmother risk getting an infection over something so stupid as the doctor's order.

Not if she can't help it.

* * *

She checks the cabinets, closets, and the wood flooring from the dining room and the kitchen, before taking all her cleaning utensils with her and thinks of where she should approach first. The kitchen, she declares, will be the focus for the day.

And if she has time, she'll get rid of the mats. Not only they're old but they smell bad, being that a big no-no for her OCD brain. So, she starts to work and wipes off the sweat from her forehead two hours later when she feels like she deserves a break.

She glances at the open sliding door that leads to the backyard, where six bags of thrash are displayed as trophies. A little farther are the bags she set aside for Tamiko to choose what type of item they want to keep, and there's another designated spot for all the things they're going to sell.

Right now, Tamiko is standing outside, deciding what type of tea set they will keep. She only hopes Tamiko is not a hoarder or else she'll be forced to take the matter into her own hands. Because there's so much clutter. So many things that she can't understand or don't find the meaning to keep, but she doesn't want to come out as insensitive and hurt Tamiko's feelings.

Like she can understand why Tamiko's family would want to collect odd things since she used to collect postcards and comic books, but having six whole stashes of swords and other pointy things? That is a little bit too much for her. Luckily Tamiko (god bless her) understands the situation and gives her permission to sell everything else only if Tamiko gets to keep a sword or two.

She immediately agrees and profusely thanks her. It's been only three days since she started cleaning and took the reins of the house, but now the house feels less like a garbage dump and more like a filthy house.

Now she and Tamiko can even _sit _and _eat _in something that's not a cardboard box, and that itself makes her feel ten times better. Hell, now they can even look at themselves in a mirror that's not covered in fungus.

The first time she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she almost dropped her sponge. She wasn't...what she used to look like. She remembers liking her curly brown hair, her slightly crooked teeth, and her small tomboyish figure.

So, seeing herself with auburn hair, freckles, and an hourglass figure is quite a shocking thing to see. Her breasts are bigger, which doesn't compare to her A-cup and all the kid sizes bra she bought at discount at Target. And her stomach, a thing that used to be flat and smooth now has a small loving bulge and is squishier and rounder than she remembered having.

There are way more stretch marks in her stomach, her breast, and her butt, but that wasn't what made her worry. It was more of seeing the angry red line all over her ribcage and the many other cuts she has on her back and her legs.

The first time she shows them to Tamiko, she gently orders her to sit down and tells her about the incident. How in a single night an antisocial decided to attack them and left more than fifty people _dead._ Babies and children, little human beings with so many years in front are now _gone _because one antisocial person thought orphans didn't deserve to live.

She cries.

She cries for days. She cries whenever she finishes a window. She cries whenever she fills another garbage bag. She cries whenever she kills flies and cleans out all the mice traps. She cries when she commits genocide to the fridge's ecosystem with bleach.

She cries and weeps day and night, for every single soul that didn't deserve to die, for all Wanatabe Kita's (because she's not Kita) colleagues and all the children Kita was taking care and for her until she can't cry anymore.

So, she turns her sadness into anger.

And there's no spot in the kitchen or the living room that doesn't suffer her unstoppable ire. She scrubs and disinfects with precision because she's so _angry _and _hurt._ Maybe this isn't a dream and maybe this is her punishment for all the times she should have cleaned out her house more.

But the realization that she's living in Wanatabe Kita's body hits her and she won't let that stop her. They're using the last part of Kita's savings to live and Tamiko's medication will end this week.

And since she's using Kita's body she can't let, in good conscience, Kita's grandmother suffers. She has two weeks before she can work again and since there are no more orphans left, she must find a new job.

But hopefully, with all the stuff they're going to sell, they will have enough money to survive for the next future weeks. Now, if she could only find the box where all the kitchen cutlery is.

Eating with chopsticks is _harder _than what the movies and all the series she binge-watched showed.

* * *

She wakes up crying when the pain in her chest worsens. Could it be a side effect of the excessive use of bleach? She sincerely hopes not or else she'll finally call it quits. Tamiko comes to her aid when she starts sobbing.

There's so much _pain._

(She later learned two things. One that Wanatabe Kita was pregnant and lost her baby two months ago. And two? Is that mastitis is a total _bitch _to take care of.)

* * *

The idea that this is not her universe gathers force the morning Tamiko leads her to the marketplace. She's in a village of sorts, that's organized into different districts and near the outskirts of the civilian district is the marketplace. A village that a month ago had an attack that left many places unlivable and many people dead. Occasionally, she can catch glimpses of people fixing the destroyed houses or taking out all the debris.

There are giant holes in the ground, trees tore down and many houses filled with warning tape. Which makes her wonders what type of attack could have made so much damage here. Was it an explosion? Did someone set up a bomb? There are so many questions she wants to ask, but the first time she asks Tamiko the elderly's face shuts down and Kita stops right there.

"This is Konoha, Kita," Tamiko tells her when Kita gets lost for the fifth time. They've been trying to reach a store where they can sell their stuff. It doesn't matter whether they sell it at less, the goal here is to get rid of the stuff ASAP and have enough so they can buy Tamiko's heart medication.

"The village you have lived for the majority of your life," She says after they finally reach the marketplace. She hurries, hoping to catch Tamiko because for some strange reason while Tamiko is old she's very fast for her age.

Faster than her.

But even with the recent attack (that Tamiko doesn't want to tell her more), it doesn't stop the marketplace from being crowded. The vendors have already settled their booths and put their products. And there are other people like Kita and Tamiko who are walking. It's there when she notices that all the fantasy purple, green and purple hair colors she tried during her late teens don't compare to the electrifying colors they have here.

And what's worse is that they look_ natural._

She wants to ask if it's their natural pigmentation or if they just have better hairdressers in general. Like honestly, it makes her green with envy. Of all the fantasy colors she could have gotten, reddish-brown hair is a total bummer.

In one she swears she sees someone running in the roofs, before quickly discarding the idea since the thought is quite stupid to begin with. Probably her paranoid brain, who still hasn't recovered from the night she was killed.

"Are there others?" She asks when they pass another vegetable stand and her stomach rumbles. Her mouths start salivating when she eyes the lettuce that's begging to be eaten. _Food._ She's been getting sick of having to eat those three-minutes instant soups they have. It's the _only _thing they have on the stupid house. So, today's goal is simple; sell the stuff, buy Tamiko's medication and restock their pantry.

Preferably with something that isn't miso-soup ramen.

"Or is this the only village?"

Tamiko gives her a strange look.

"Yes," She says, nodding along. "There are more but they're far away from here. Nothing that should worry you Kita-chan."

* * *

"Report Hound," The superior barks after the ANBU member got back and kneels. While the mission status has changed, the parameters are quite clear. Collect data and do not engage. Study the target and find if it's still usable for the Yamanaka technique.

"Target has no recollection of her awareness and identity," The ANBU starts with a deep monotone voice. His knees are killing him after so many hours of surveillance, but he keeps kneeling. It's an ANBU tradition, after all. "She doesn't respond to her name when called. Possibly suffering through a case of retrograde amnesia-"

"Probably due to the traumatic events," A third voice finishes, a man in his late forties who had his face uncovered and bandages over one of his eyes. He sneers, disgust showing all over his face. "Civilian. One little push of violence and they can't handle it."

"Either way if it's retrograde amnesia, then she isn't eligible for the Yamanaka's mind transferring technique," An older voice says. "We'll have to change strategy."

"We could still use her-"

"Don't be ridiculous Danzo," The only female scoffs, clearly annoyed at the other's words. In her hands is the folder of the target. "It's retrograde amnesia due to traumatic events. We could even ask Ibiki-San to open her skull and it won't give us anything. The memories are altered and there's nothing we can do."

"That's not true Koharu-"

"We already have more than seventy people dead," Utatane Koharu says, interjecting him. It's been days of constant arguing between the council and Koharu had already enough of it. It had been a massacre and there were only two who had survived.

The thought of killing the last adult survivor to please Danzo's request seated bad with her.

"Let's not add another one due to gluttony, shall we?"

"And there isn't a case of her faking it?" Another of his superiors asks. This was not good news for them, but it was the truth. While the target suffering through retrograde Amnesia had always been a possibility, they never thought it would happen.

He turns his head to the side and thinks for a second, before answering.

"Not likely sir," The ANBU replies.

"Let the poor girl live," Koharu sighs. It's a miracle that the young woman was even alive at this point. "She's already had enough, and we can still use her."

"How?" Danzo says crossing his arms. "She's a civilian. And _useless_."

Utatane Koharu simply smiles.

* * *

She finds Wanatabe Kita's baby stuff just when she was finishing decluttering the second floor. Scavenging for other things they can sell, since last time went so well. Out of all the things they sold, the stash of weapons was a massive hit.

So much that different vendors fought for having them. She chose the highest bidder, and now thanks to the money, Tamiko has a softer mattress (or _futon, _as Tamiko likes to call them). They even bought Tamiko's favorite tea.

Now if everything turns out well, she will soon start remodeling the house. It's not the furniture that's giving her the headache since the furniture Tamiko salvage is in a good state, but it's the _house structure _that is the living nightmare.

It's almost as if a giant had stepped, by accident on the house because it's simply _horrible_. How the hell the house is still standing is a mystery to her. While the massive hole in the roofs helps cool off the house, winter is just around the corner and if what Tamiko says is true it will rain and even _snow._ So yeah, she wants to keep living until she solves this mess, so excuse her for not wanting to have pneumonia, thank you very much.

Hence, more scavenger hunts.

That's how she finds out that the house isn't as small as she would have imagined. The first floor is composed of an entrance, a living room, a kitchen, and two bedrooms with bathrooms, yet the second floor is another world. It has two more bedrooms, a bathroom, and a room what Kit- she believes could be used as a storage room. It's there where when she finds all the stuff.

All the _baby_ stuff.

Her hands gently take out all the baby clothes, all the toys, and the disarmed crib. Soon and for some strange reason, they start shaking when she fishes out a folder that reveals an ultrasound and a bunch of documentation.

There are even letters that Kita wrote for her baby.

"I'm sorry Kita," She whispers when she finishes reading it. She finds out that Wanatabe Kita had gotten pregnant by accident when she decided to go out with her friends (her colleagues -that are also dead-) for a drink and ended up in some guy's apartment. She doesn't know if it was consensual or not, she doesn't know if her family supported or not because Kita doesn't mention it.

Kita just mentioned her baby boy as her miracle, and all the things she was looking forward too. She doesn't move when she finishes reading all the fifteen letters and her pregnancy diary. She closes her eyes and counts to ten, when another wave of massive sadness hits her. Suddenly the cluttering, the house state, and their ridiculous supply of never-ending instant miso soup ramen makes so much more sense and she hates herself for not giving Kita a break.

The poor girl was going through a massive case of postpartum depression and possibly working for the orphanage (when it had been only two months since she lost the baby) hadn't helped her at all.

"I'm so sorry," She says putting everything back into the cardboard box and placing it back. In the end, she doesn't keep looking for things. And it's only when Tamiko comes to fetch her saying that lunch is ready that she finds her glued to the spot, with the blue hand-knitted socks in her trembling hands.

* * *

"You used to knit all the time Kita-chan," Tamiko tells her at dinner, hours later when the second floor is once again livable, only if you take out the fact that the big part of the roof is missing.

"I did?" She asks while another drop of soup falls off her mouth and she curses under her breath. While they did find the cutlery, for some strange reason, Tamiko keeps insisting on using chopsticks.

A thing that is now her number one enemy.

Now, eating noodles is a total nightmare.

"Yes, you did Kii-chan," The grandma speaks after eyeing her plate, "You were so good at it. It's our family tradition to sew, but you were always a special girl and decided to knit. Why don't you pick it up again? I'm sure you're getting bored now that the house is clean again."

"I don't know-how," She admits, feeling more self-conscious than ever. While she still tries to cope with the fact that she's living in Kita's body, there are a lot of things she's not used too and one of them is knitting. She remembers doing other things.

Gardening, writing, making soap and even cooking as her hobbies but she never took the time to knit after she left her parent's house. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she associated knit with the stigma his family carried around; how girls should knit and sew for their husband first and then study.

Tamiko hums when she doesn't add anything more and declares.

"I can teach you Kii-chan," She says with a smile, and the wrinkles around her eyes are showing. Part of her heart's _aches _at Tamiko's smile because she's not Kita. Tamiko's niece is dead and she's only borrowing her body.

She's a _fake._

* * *

She remembers living another life in a different universe with different people and different places. She can remember her boss's face and the number of books she collected over the years. She can remember her estranged family; and her mother and father. The years she lived with the burden of being different. Or the many years in which she hid her sexuality to please her family. How she ended up marrying her best friend, only to appease her family's conservative desires.

The same one that shut the door to her face the moment she admitted she fell in love with a girl and when her divorced finished. And the way her grandmother took her by her hair and threw her out of the house, yelling at her to never see her again. Even when her grandmother was dying in her bed, she forbade her to visit, stating she didn't want to have contact with the _devil._

That hurt her more than the serial killer raping her.

Tamiko is not her grandmother, but oh _god _what would she do to have her as such. She wants to tell her the truth, but she's terrified of being rejected again. Especially Tamiko, who supports her in every possible way.

She cries more.

Wanatabe Kita is not her, and she's not Kita. But for some strange reason, she's tired of not remembering her name and having to call herself a "_she"._ She only hopes the real Wanatabe Kita, the one that died in the orphanage attack alongside all the seventy-five other people, forgives her for doing this.

_I'm sorry._

"Obaa-san," Kita says the next morning when Tamiko makes tea and she finishes nibbling her breakfast. It's another day, Sunday to be more precise when Kita finally decides what she wants to do with the day.

"Yes, Kita-chan?"

She only hopes Tamiko will have enough patience for what she's going to ask her

"Can you teach me how to knit?" Somehow by the wide smile, Tamiko is giving her, Kita has the feeling she made the right choice.

* * *

She starts slow, like every other hobby she wants to learn. Tamiko is patient in teaching her the correct way you should knit stitch. The scarf she knits is quite ugly indeed but for a first try, it's quite an accomplishment.

She spends the rest of the week knitting socks until she masters the technique.

* * *

"Report," The ANBU commander shouts when Bear finishes doing his round. He kneels and looks at the ground, the sight of the young woman cleaning the house while singing to the plants still in his mind. He narrows his eyes when he realizes the commander is waiting for his reply.

"Target shows no signs of remembering her past, sir. She has gotten more active but apart from that, she still relies on her relative to live."

"What relative, exactly?" Danzo asks now more interested than all the other reports Bear has done in the past. "I thought she was the last one in her clan."

"Her grandmother from her mother's side, Wanatabe Tamiko, is still alive," Bear easily replies. It takes two seconds before the rest of the board suddenly groans and a bunch of angry comments come in full. Bear watches amazed the whole banter of insults.

"Hey, Danzo do you remember Tami-"

"Of course, that old viper would survive the attack-"

"I thought she had died-"

"Somehow I'm not surprised-"

"Just call Sarutobi on this one."

* * *

"I want to fix the house Obaa-san," Kita says when they finally finish eating their never-ending portions of dumplings after Kita accidentally read wrong the instructions and instead of making twenty-five dumplings it turned into more than fifty.

"But I don't know how," She says, ducking her head. She had always been a big "DIY" kind of girl, but one thing is learning how to make floating shelves and another thing is building a roof from _scratch._

But it's the last thing Kita needs to finish before she can dedicate her existence to job hunting. Kita doesn't have a single clue on how the hell you're supposed to fix a house, but she dutifully follows Tamiko's advice. So, with Tamiko's guidance, she starts replacing the floor and tatami mats. She buys one tatami mat for the entrance and one for the living room.

Then she buys wood in bulk and slowly but surely, she starts replacing the ugly floor carpet. She takes out the padding and the tack strips around the edges of the room, along with the nails holding them in place before she starts replacing them with the wood. There's so much wood involved on the floor that by the end of the day Kita only hopes that the house never ends up catching fire or else they will _die._

Then, they start fixing the walls. They replace all the other colors the previous owners painted with milky, light beige and cream tones and Kita's hair accidentally ends up covered in cream paint when she tries to show off Tamiko she can paint. They tried fixing the sliding doors but, in the end, they had to replace every single one, being that a huge blow to their savings.

But they turn the old sliding doors into a cool cabinet where Tamiko put all the Wanatabe's photos, so Kita guesses it's okay. It's only then when Kita realizes that Tamiko hadn't been lying around when she said the Wanatabe family had been large.

It's huge.

There are more than fifty members, and sometimes after Tamiko declares they are done for the day, Kita inspects the photos with great care and wonders how it would have felt to grow up in such a large family.

"We were nomads before we lived in Konoha," Tamiko comments to her one day after they finish with the first floor. "We used to live in a faraway place where the sea was our place and the whales were our friends Kita. It took us years to finally settle here."

"Why did you ended up choosing Konoha?" She forces her tongue to complete the sentence even if it sounds awkward to her ears. While Tamiko reassures her that the difficulty in pronouncing words comes as a side effect to the head injury, she knows it's got to do more with Japanese not being her native language. Hell, she never considered learning Japanese in her other life.

Tamiko doesn't respond at first, before slowly facing her.

"We didn't have a choice," And before Kita can ask her what she is referring to, Tamiko adds. "We were tired of being _hunted._"

She doesn't answer any more questions that night.

* * *

She remembers living a different life. A life where magic didn't happen and ninjas were just told on fairytales, TV shows and history. Life in a world where technology was much more advanced, and their leaders were chosen by the number of votes and not by the amount of power they have.

It takes a while to process that she's living in a village where ninja exists. The first time she sees someone walking in the river, she rubs her eyes thinking she is hallucinating before Tamiko gently explains to her that all ninja learns to water-walk. That magic here has a name and it's called _chakra._ And how Kita despite being young will never manage to wield it since her parents sent her to a normal school instead of the village's academy when she was a kid.

It's a total bummer hearing that.

Tamiko sets some rules for her to memorize before she gives her permission to wander alone. How she's not supposed to attract attention, or she'll end up in trouble. How she's not supposed to glance at all the fast shadow running on her neighbor's roof or look at all the scars people have on their faces or their bodies.

And how Kita should _never_ watch ninja work because they can get easily spooked and react.

"Like a cat?" She asks when she's struggling to carry the rest of the grocery bags. It's a huge investment they're doing, but an electric rice maker will make their life easier. That way Tamiko can spend her morning reading those books she likes to read instead of worrying that she will burn the rice.

"Ninjas behave like cats?"

"Something like that," Tamiko chuckles. The good thing about ninja is that most of them don't present a danger to civilians, since the village has a strict policy that regulates the relationship between ninjas and civilians. There is a whole police department dedicated to that.

But while Tamiko tells her that Konoha's ninjas are far more friendly towards civilians than other ninja villages, she should never trust them. Maybe that's how Wanatabe Kita got pregnant, because Tamiko informs her that ninja here have techniques that create powerful illusions and make you see things that don't exist.

And maybe that's why Kita hyperventilates the first times a ninja offers to carry her grocery bags. Tamiko laughs at her nervous stammer and lets the young man carry them. Ninjas here have super strength and are very fast. So fast that the only reason Kita can see them in the first place is that the _Hokage _(the leader of this place) implemented a rule that Ninjas needs to be slower in the civilian district to stop the rise of civilian heart attacks.

Because while civilians are the weakest of them all, they're the working ants that keeping the structure stable. They are what keeps the village functioning and all the Hokage's ranks happy. Even with that in mind, Kita still hurries to come home before the sun sets.

* * *

Wanatabe Kita is not her, and she's not Kita.

But she feels that with every day that passes, that she can live in Kita's body.

* * *

When they finish with the floors and the walls, they tackle next fixing the ceiling stains, replacing the toilet seats and unclogging clogged drains. There's nothing more satisfactory than cleaning the dishes and seeing how the water doesn't accumulate there.

After that, they fix all the cabinet knobs and all the scratchy cabinetry. That's how Kita falls in love with walnut and their property to remove all the scratches to their wooden furniture. But the main problem for her is the roof, since they don't have enough funds to cost it and winter is just days away. Tamiko had said the other day they could hire a _"genin" _team to get the job done, but Kita doesn't know whether they can afford it or not.

And Kita's not sure the genin team has the necessary skills to do it. She spends the rest of the day daydreaming about the type of roof she wants as she rearranges all the stuff Tamiko chose to keep (including all Kita's baby stuff) into one room before the anxiety hits her and she realizes that over the past few days the temperatures have steadily been dropping and she saw Tamiko sneezing the other night.

She panics. Tamiko tries to reassure her that winter will be delayed. That there was so much magic- _chakra_ released on the day of the attack (October 10th) that it affected the weather and possibly the season but that doesn't stop her from worrying.

She just hopes they will have enough money to fix the roof before winter comes.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen lights up his tobacco pipe, takes a brief nicotine dose before he faces the whole crowd. On his right side is the Konoha council composed by Homura Mitokado, Danzō Shimura and Koharu Utatane. On the other side is the ANBU commander.

In front of him are the three ANBU who had been reporting the mission and a representative of Konoha's most prominent clans. They are all here because it's been weeks since the orphanage attack and they need to find a solution soon. A solution that comes into convincing someone to take care of the only baby that survived the attack.

"So, you're telling me that no one wants to take care of the child?" He asks while glancing at every single member of the room. It takes a lot to not raise his voice. "No one?"

"Konoha's clans have gently denied your offer Hokage-Sama," The representative of every single clan in Konoha speaks. "While they're humbled to be included in your honest proposal, they don't have the resources to take care of a baby."

_Of a demon _goes unsaid and Hiruzen sighs, more tired than ever. He's been taking care of the baby so far, but there's only so much he can do while not slacking in his Hokage duties. The grief of losing her wife sometimes is too much for Hiruzen to handle, less with taking care of a month and seventeen days old baby.

"And the civilian?" He asks, rubbing his temple. Right now, his only hope is the other survivor of the orphanage's massacre. Koharu Utatane had given her the file two days ago, and by now Hiruzen's willing to do anything for someone to take care of Naruto. "The Wanatabe...something?"

"Wanatabe Kita, twenty-five years old," Hound recites her file from memory. Hiruzen listens and nods until Hound finishes the report.

"She could become Naruto's wet nurse," Hiruzen says. She's young, has no connection with any prominent clan, and has only one living relative that's in her late seventies. The fact that she recently miscarriage two months ago definitely catches his attention, since it means she's still lactating. It would be a win-win situation for them.

For everyone at this point.

"Her relative is Wanatabe Tamiko," Homura Mitokado breaks the news to him and Hiruzen groans because of course, Wanatabe Tamiko must be involved in this. _Of course. _But Tamiko must be nearing her late seventies now, and while the name stills make him doubt twice, she's old enough they can fool her.

Only if they play the right cards.

"I want someone to request a private meeting with Wanatabe Kita," Hiruzen orders when all had been done and said, and now there were only actions to partake. "And call our best poison specialist please."

* * *

_Thank you so much for reading! I'm so sorry to all the people that read this the first time and found out I deleted it. I thought no one liked it. I was totally wrong. Special thanks for Unlatrun for being such a sweetheart and personally pm-ing me to let me know how much she/he enjoyed it, and making me change my mind. I won't delete the story again. Pinky promise._

_And if you like it, please leave a review! Or whatever makes you feel comfortable tbh. I would totally love to hear your opinion._

_Hope you all have a wonderful week! And thank you for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

**12/8 Many thanks to ****100pureawesomeness, for beta reading this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The thought of accidental soul transmigration came to Kita four weeks after she woke in this world, at the doctor's office. Just when they finished with the examination, so they can evaluate if the scars around her back and ribcage healed up well.

Then the thought comes suddenly, and her hands stop right there. Because how come she hadn't thought of that sooner? It makes more sense than all the other thoughts she harbored in the past. It makes sense. Oh god, it makes _so much sense_.

They both had been in a similar situation. They both had been heavily hurt. But at the same time..._how_? She remembers being drowned until she lost consciousness while Wanatabe Kita's probable bled out in less than three minutes.

So why? And how? Could it be related to the magic they do here? And if so, then what kind of magic could make her switch bodies with Kita? Tamiko told her that Kita was not a ninja and wouldn't wield magic, so the real Wanatabe Kita is out of the question. So then. _Who_? Was it the same one that attacked the orphanage? Or another?

Soon, question after question begins to pile up, and she is left with a deep sense of frustration. As much as Kita likes Tamiko's company, as much as he adores Tamiko, she doesn't want to live the rest of her life here. This isn't her world. And Kita _needs_ to go back to her old world.

Her world of caring for books, and taking care of her two cats and one dog-

"Wanatabe-san?" The doctor enters the room five minutes later, probably to check on her since she didn't get out of the medical stretcher, thinking about possibilities. It's only when he opens the door, that Kita realizes she has yet to finish putting on her clothes. She tries to cover her body but it's too late and the doctor ends up seeing her with half of the shirt unbuttoned and showing her..._cleavage_.

"Oh," The doctor says now blushing and quietly apologizes, leaving the room. She quickly re-arranges her bra and the rest of the real Wanatabe Kita granny undergarments. Surprisingly so, despite their awful design, they're comfortable.

Hell, a lot more comfortable than the 3x2 offers she bought at discount. It's the only thing she can quietly admit while not hating the rest and especially her new body. A body she did not ask to be in. Because despite losing the baby, Wanatabe Kita's body still thinks there's a baby out there that needs to be constantly fed.

Making her experience embarrassing moments, that always ends up with a granny pushing her aside on the street and gently telling her to check her blouse that is wet with _that_. Something that, even to this day, makes her want the earth to swallow her.

Preferably whole.

The doctor told her the leaking was normal, but Kita has the underlying suspicious the doctor is only saying that to make her not feel bad about it. Because now there isn't a time in which she's not constantly checking her clothes, looking for stains. _This is so unfair_, she thinks while putting on a coat, because Kita never asked for this.

Kita never _wanted_ to wake up in Wanatabe Kita's body. Suddenly, the coat feels heavier and she can feel something in her eyes and that something falling. _Tears. _She wipes them and leaves the room, hoping that the cooling air will her help focus on something else.

"You'll need to make another appointment," The doctor orders, herding her to his secretary. The doctor informs her that while the scars aren't what concerns him, it's the amnesia (that Kita fakes she has). Apparently, amnesia is far more common here.

So now, after a quick referral to a mind specialist (a psychologist, her mind supplies), and scheduling a doctor appointment for one month later, Kita is good to go. She leaves the hospital and starts walking, careful to not get lost like the _last time_.

Because, for being a village? Konohagakure no Sato is big. Tremendously big. Ten times bigger than the city she used to live in, or the place she went to finish her education. It's on her fifth expedition, where she learns more about the village, she's currently living in. That Konohagakure no Sato is located at the base of a mountain and surrounded by a forest.

A forest that serves as protection and was created by the first leader of the village, Hashirama Senju, to hide the village from the prying enemy's eyes. Now, how exactly does that work? Kita has no idea. But the thought that one can form a tree with _magic_ (because she will not call it chakra) is terrifying. It makes her more wary of the world she's currently living in.

And at the same time, it gives her the hope that maybe the same magic can return her to her world.

It was just a matter of checking one of the Hashirama trees (it's what they call them here) standing in the Senju Park, to conclude that the magic here is_ crazy. _It faintly reminds her of the giant redwood that grew in her area. With the exception that these trees are _giants_.

The forest (Hashirama forest, to be more precise,) spans hundreds of kilometers of these exact giants trees, with the sole goal to hide Konoha from the enemy's eyes. Kita doesn't know to what extent these trees helped during the attack on October 10th, but at this point, she's just going with the flow. It's also there, where she learns that as many benefits the forest gives, it's also where many thieves, bandits, and missing ninja are lurking around.

Making her discard the idea of running away from this place.

The good thing about the village is the scenery, and Kita must give props to the first leader for organizing it so beautifully. The first time she glanced at the mountain, for example, she thought she was at Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

But turns out carving faces of prominent leaders is universal. Apart from the mountain, other things are indeed beautiful; like the Naka river or the many rivers that converge into Konoha or even the Senju Park, who shines for its greenery.

As to the village itself...well… it's divided into different districts with many buildings that intersects with shops and houses. There are ten districts (one for each prominent clan) and a civilian one, with designated training grounds all over the place.

Leading to many passageways and weird turns. It's like a maze. And considering that since half of the village is still under repairs, it's harder for her to get oriented. Making it very tricky to maneuver inside the village without getting lost. Tamiko said that one way or the other she'll get used to it. Kita seriously hopes so, because the amount of times she gets lost while trying to reach the marketplace is getting quite ridiculous, to be honest.

She's also pretty sure that the policemen at this point are sick of her too, asking for directions. And... it's not her fault that the streets are complicated! They're _endless_. After all, how could she ever forget the morning where she didn't ask a policeman and accidentally ended up in a training ground, where massive balls of fires were falling from the sky? And, before she could turn around, there were also magical waves of water appearing out of _nowhere?_

Yeah, it was only luck that a ninja was friendly enough to redirect her back to the Police Station, before she _died _of a heart attack_._

She pretty much pesters them ever since then.

She passes another store, watching the scenery, and wishing for a phone. Or a music player. Or anything that could have access on the internet, but Kita knows that it doesn't exist here. Because while Konoha is a semi-modern-ish village, it still doesn't have all the advances from her other world. It has technology, but it's quite antiquated than the one she grew up with.

Probably, World War I in terms of technology except that even with that, there's a discrepancy she doesn't quite understand. There are electronics like radio, VHS tapes, CRT televisions, and even saw a vendor selling batteries the other day. But there are no cars, trains, and planes. In the month she has been living here, she hasn't seen one single policeman carry a gun.

Maybe it has to do with all the magic they do…?

She sticks out her tongue and tries to remember what Tamiko told her. Something that had to do...with... _Nin...jatsu?_ _Nun-Jutsu?_ She sighs, shaking the thought away, and missing the Spotify playlist she put so much effort into.

It _sucks_.

* * *

The night surrounding the events that led her here are still somewhat fuzzy. Yet that doesn't make it any less terrifying. She can remember the desperation and fear. The screams that came out of her mouth when her neighbor, the shy guy who always greeted her first time in the morning and wasted no time in breaking her fingers.

And then, when he realized he wasn't going to get any more pleasure after raping her, he began submerging her head into the tub. And she tried, she tried to fight, tried to stand up but in the end, it didn't make a difference.

She still has nightmares about the night, but strangely so, those aren't what make her scared. It's the ones where instead of the bathroom, she's in some sort hallway running away from someone laughing.

Times where instead of her neighbor, it's a guy in a black and orange flames mask that tries to drown her. And other times where it's that same guy that stabs her multiple times as she tries to run. Times where the masked man whispers into her ear "_nothing personal_" as she keeps gasping for air and she couldn't, she couldn't breathe, and what was wrong with her, why couldn't—

Those nights, like this one, end up with Kita screaming and being covered in sweat. Trembling fingers clutching the sheets, while trying to breathe. She would lay there gasping until the tears ceased. And break down again when she went to the bathroom and saw her reflection in the mirror.

_She never asked for any of this._

* * *

She destroys the garden, and whatever sadness that's still there goes away the moment Kita begins to pull the leftover weeds. It's cathartic, pulling the weeds by the root. She starts at dawn and it's only when she finishes that she raises her head and glances at her backyard.

It's bare.

A backyard that only one month ago, was filled with different types of weeds, is now bare. Now there's just soil. She pants and stands up, dusting all the dirt that got on her clothes. Satisfaction running deep in her veins.

Now, she needs to start filling it with plants, something that she's looking forward to. It's what made her fall in love with it for the first time. There's something magical about having the experience to grow plants. And much more is she has total reign on how to arrange them in perfect symmetry.

But for that, she can't get too excited, if she wants to get some good results. While there is soil, it isn't as rich as she would like. If she wants to grow things, she's going to need some fertilizer.

Now, the biggest question is whether she should buy one or two bags. Preferably add another layer and make the earth rest until the next season comes because the temperatures have gotten colder. Way too cold for her taste.

With that in mind, Kita goes back to the house, careful to close the kitchen's sliding door that leads to the backyard. It's been one day since the doctor declared her fit to start working again, and there she is, spending the last minutes of her free-job life _gardening_. She goes straight to the bathroom, takes a well-deserved shower and finally changes into a more appropriate outfit.

Ignoring completely the mirrors, because she's still struggling to her new appearance. It's not that Wanatabe Kita isn't pretty, she is quite pretty. In her other world, she would have asked her out.

But for some reason, the sight of her in Wanatabe Kita's body makes her mentally struggle.

She fixes her white blouse, puts some black pants she found the other day, tie her hair into a ponytail and tries not to think about what exactly she's going to face today. She's been stalling this day, because one thing is wandering and exploring the village, and another is walking around the village and trying to convince someone to hire her for a job.

Kita only hopes she can pull it off. She greets Tamiko in the kitchen, who had just woken up and is serving her morning tea, wrapped under a heavy coat. The sight of Tamiko covered up makes her feel guilty because the temperatures have been dropping and with their destroyed roof it's making it very hard for them to preserve heat.

And for elders like Tamiko, who can lose body heat fast, it must feel horrible. Kita takes a seat in the small rectangle table they saved from Kita's selling purge. And for being only two members, the table is perfect. They always try to eat in this table and not the one that's in the living room, because unlike the others, this table doesn't have wobbly legs.

Hopefully, when Kita's knitting skills get better, she'll make a pillow since the ones they are using are quite thin.

"You have rashes all over your hands," Tamiko says, grasping her reddened hands, ignoring the sharp hiss from Kita. Then Tamiko's hands start glowing and all the pain Kita had been trying hard to ignore disappears.

Kita gawks.

"You need to be more careful Kita-chan," Tamiko comments patting them before serving Kita more tea, ignoring the way Kita stutters and tries to process what Tamiko just did. She opens her mouth and wants to know what the hell was that but Tamiko gives her a stern look and says.

"Finish your tea first Kita, you're freezing," Tamiko orders and it's only after Kita takes a sip of her green tea that Tamiko refills it and changes the topic. "Now, is there a reason why you are dressed so formal? Any suitors that I have to deal with?"

It takes a minute for Kita to process why Tamiko is asking her that, and profusely shakes her head. Oh god, _no._ Not in the meantime and until Kita can find her way back home.

"I'm going to try to find a job," Kita answers, tucking a strand of her reddish hair behind her ear. She doesn't want to get her hopes up, but the reality is that with the recent repairs they don't have much. And the _roof_ needs to be replaced and for that, they need a stable source of income.

Tamiko hums, bringing her wrinkly hand to her chin. Kita fidgets, wanting to ask for some reassurance, maybe for some tip because she doesn't have a clue on how exactly tackle a job interview in a village from a world that isn't hers, but she can't...she can't fail.

Or else Tamiko will fall sick and she can't allow that to happen.

"Remember to come back for lunch," Tamiko says with a sigh, seating farther into the seat. After the dumpling incident, Tamiko's now in charge of the kitchen. It's not that Kita's cooking skills are bad. She knows how to cook since it was one of the first things her other family put much emphasis on during her youth. But it's the lack of Japanese dishes that troubles her.

She doubts that homemade mac and cheese can be considered part of the Japanese cuisine.

She must act like Kita, after all.

"Yes, Obaa-san," Kita says, nodding her head. Then, she remembers the garden progress and asks her, "Where can I buy soil?"

"Soil?" Tamiko croaks, more curious than ever. "Why would you need soil Kita?"

"It's for the garden Obaa-san," Kita blinks, hoping that Tamiko won't question her further. Because one thing is being in Kita's body and another thing is playing the act that she's indeed Kita. And since she doesn't know to what extent Kita's hobbies were apart from knitting, she doesn't know whether Tamiko will end up suspicious of her niece's sudden interest in gardening.

"But it's almost winter dear," Tamiko says, "You can't plant things in winter or else they die."

_Wrong_.

She has memories from her other life planting tomatoes, beans, lettuce and basil in the coldest zone designation for the United States. Zones where temperatures could easily reach -60 to -50 degrees. Then when she changed states to a warmer place, she remembers growing butter lettuce until she got sick of it.

"I want to prep the soil for the next season," She tells her, hoping it will be enough to satisfy Tamiko's curiosity. "The backyard is big, and I want to use it."

"I know a place where they sell that," Tamiko tells her, writing the address on a paper and giving it to her. _Yamanaka Hana, _it reads and Kita files the information to her brain. It sounds like a very important business. "They mostly focus on selling flowers, but they have a section for seeds and soil that will interest you, Kita."

"Thanks, Obaa-san," Kita says, now more excited to get out of the house. Uhm, what type of plants do they have there? Do they sell seeds? Will they have basil? Rosemary? Parsley? And if they do, how much will they cost? They've been trying to stretch their savings, but...if they're cheap...surely buying some seeds won't hurt much, right? Like if the world was ending tomorrow and Kita had to choose between buying parsley and-

_The roof first and then buy soil and finally your seeds_.

She almost flops on the spot at the thought of the roof. Right. There's nothing more depressing than to think half of your house roof is missing and there she was thinking about Rosemary like the _fool she is._

"I thought you had stopped liking gardening Kita," Tamiko comments when Kita finishes putting on a scarf and a coat. She doesn't want to get sick. And somehow, it's hella cold.

"People change," Kita finishes giving her a quick kiss on her forehead. She only hopes she manages to catch a job after all, or else they will be forced to start eating those instant ramen noodles again.

A thing she wants to avoid at all costs.

Kita closes the door and locks it before she starts walking. It's a fifteen-minute walk from her house to the Police Station, her first obligated stop. She's not the only one here; as she catches an elderly man walking beside her and not too far is a woman with two kids, probably heading out to do some errands.

Hopefully, she'll find a job.

* * *

The problem relies on the fact that Konoha's jobs are limited, to begin with. From the job section in the local newspaper (she'd borrowed from Tamiko's) is where she learns that about two-fifths of the civilian jobs consist of working under retail stores.

That's the focus they give. Either you're a cashier, a waitress, a cook or the guy that restocks the shop's shelves. Anything that can help family restaurants or shops flourish. Everything is run and owned by family businesses or _clans_, and the closest thing to a supermarket are family grocery stores.

Then there is education, which is a small competitive market that Kita doesn't want to dip her toes into. You can work as a teacher or in daycare but considering Kita's recent history she has a hunch that she won't be very well received there. And lastly, but not least, there is the agriculture market, making the other two-fifths.

Everything remotely administrative goes to the ninjas and Kita can admit she cried a little, the moment Tamiko decided to break her heart informing that to work in the village's library you must be a ninja.

(And when Kita asked her why Kita's parents never decided to enroll her in the village academy, Tamiko simply shook her head and told her that was a story for another day. The _gall_ of that woman, honestly.)

Health is another tricky department. But she's pretty sure she could work as a janitor or even a secretary. As to the economic department...she has zero ideas since there was no job offer there.

Anyways, the point is that the job market is small and there aren't a lot of options for her. Unlike her other curriculum, which she worked her ass off, Wanatabe Kita's curriculum is quite basic and plain boring. Wanatabe Kita's major achievement was finishing the civilian school and some technical classes that the local school gave. Kita doesn't know how exactly she's going to advertise and used to her advantage the six-session class the real Wanatabe Kita did on "_how to use a manual typewriter_". But at least it's something…. right?

She makes a brief stop on the small board standing outside the Police Station, filled with many announcements of job offers, the number of hours required and even some properties for sale.

What was the full name again? Ah right, _Konoha Keimu Butai_. Konoha Military Police Force. An awesome name for a police force that ensures the _shinobi_ population doesn't go full _mean girl_ on civilians. And they help civilians too.

She takes out a pen and writes the address.

She has a good feeling about this.

* * *

Turns out that she is fucking _wrong._

She stands outside the fifth store, grasping the paper until her knuckles end up white. While doing all the breathing exercises her therapist gave her for her OCD treatment. Except that this time it isn't the OCD that's giving her trouble.

It's not even _anxiety_.

It's the fact that this village is filled with _sexist conservative pigs_. It's not as sexist as her old family, but the similarities are so strong it makes her head hurt.

What's worse was having to go through that interview. The guy didn't hide his intentions. Throughout all the stupid interview he kept staring at her chest. And the guy didn't even… The guy didn't even bother to ask her the right questions, to begin with! Why should it matter if she was single or not? And her age? It's not as if those variables would affect making those stupid _fucking _dango in the first place!

Kita takes one big gulp of air and with a pen, she crosses out the dango name store and studies the few options she has left. She's not willing to go through that again, so dango is out of the question. There are two options left; a bakery and a grocery store.

She turns around and narrows her eyes. At this point, she hopes Tamiko won't get angry at her.

* * *

They celebrate Kita's success with homemade dango and sake. The pay is quite low, but it's a _job_ and hopefully, she can buy more covers and heavy clothing for Tamiko until they can fix the roof. At this point, she can admit she'd gotten fond of Tamiko.

It's like the grandma Kita always wanted in her life.

And now they're both celebrating with a strange combination, but the occasion needs to be celebrated to push forward and close cycles. That's the first time she goes face to face with such a strong drink, and it's only Tamiko's grandmother's wisdom that prevents Kita from getting drunk.

And strangely so, it's the most fun she had ever since waking up here.

* * *

She's running from someone and there's blood everywhere. There are screams until there are no more, but Kita doesn't stop running. She's afraid and she doesn't know why. She's scared for her life. She's carrying someone in her arms who's crying and she's getting nearer the exit.

_A little more, _she thinks,_ just a little more._

Except that now, there's a sword sticking out her ribcage. She blinks, dumbfounds. Then the pain comes at full force and she gasps. She screams when there's blood pouring from her body, and falls. Clutching her ribcage, and she tastes blood. It begins to dribble out of her mouth.

And she can't understand _why_.

_Why are you doing this_, she croaks when the masked man crouches down and focus on the thing in her arms. She tries to turn around, to defend whatever she's hiding, but the masked man is unmerciful. He grabs her injured shoulder and applies pressure.

She screams, and the masked man takes advantage of her weakness. He tsks, as if he's annoyed at her presence before slowly standing up. _It's a baby_. She realizes and tries to stand up but there's so much pain around the corner she can't.

_Nothing personal_, the man says and ignoring how the baby begins screaming. Something like anger twists into her and she narrows her eyes at him.

_Why_, her voice gets weaker and at this point, she's fighting to stay awake. She can't let him win. She can't. She dips her fingers into the puddle of her blood as he turns his back to her. She begins forming patterns._ Why are you doing this_?

_It's a debt I should have done a long time ago,_ she can sense the man approaching her once again and she knows this time he's going to kill her. He even sounds empathetic, saying _It's nothing personal._ _I'll make this quick_.

She feels a hand grasping her face and forcing her to look at the mask with one single hole. _Fuck you,_ she snarls, finishing the pattern and before the guy can do something everything is turning brighter and painful until they both end up screaming.

Two seconds later, Kita wakes up screaming. It's only when Tamiko makes her a tea to calm her fray nerves that she realizes that those nightmares match the events that happened at the orphanage. That maybe it's Wanatabe Kita residue memories.

She promptly vomits all over the place, ignoring how her OCD shrieks at staining the freshly cleaned floors.

* * *

The store is located on the first floor of a two-story building very near her home, and for a grocery store, it's way bigger than she expected. It's been working for more than thirty years. The sign is old and some of the letters had become illegible in the peeling paint, but apart from that, it looks good.

It had a storefront with a semi-clean window and very antiquated artifacts on display. Inside it looks like a vintage store she only saw on photos. Her _other_ grandma (the same one that kicked her out) would have loved this place. She's been working for two days and so far, she doesn't hate it that much. The owner of the store is an old retired man, in his late fifties, who left the _shinobi _world after a mission left him with a broken back and without a leg.

This first week is for her to get accustomed to what exactly entails taking care of the store, and from there she'll work an eight hours night shift, five times of the week. It's not ideal and the salary is quite low to her standards. But for now, and until she finds a better job, it will at least pay the bills.

_(Kita only hopes Tamiko hadn't been lying around about not having to pay a mortgage or else they'll **die**)_

She stops polishing the counter, when the owner comes back with another a massive amount of papers on his hands. It there where she learns that not everything is produced here. Most of Konoha's shops buy merchandise from other countries or other villages.

"What are you filling Ichikawa-san?" She asks when the owner, Ichikawa Aoi, fills another form. He's been completing forms all morning, and judging by his expression, Kita can tell it's a serious matter.

"Taxes and description of the inventory I ordered," Ichikawa tells her after finishing it all. He's concentrated, for sure. "I have to send it to the Hokage administration building to get it process and then pick it up from Konoha's immigration facilities."

As a custom, Kita thinks as she finishes organizing the cash machine. While the seat is very comfortable, and Ichikawa Aoi even lets her put the heater when it's too cold, working here is making her OCD pulsate with need. Because it's just...not _tidy_ enough. Sure, the walls have been recently painted and there is no broken furniture, but there's dust on the floor, smears of _what she thinks is blood_ on the glass showcase counter and the storefront.

Small things that are making her harder to enjoy the work here. In her older job in the _other world_, her boss was empathetic enough to make Kita's job as easier as one could get with a mental illness like hers. But now? There isn't a second in which the obsessive thoughts aren't screaming at her to fix the mismatched racks of snacks.

So, when the owner declares she's in charge for the rest of her shift (something about the immigration office and reforms) and she's left alone, her OCD wastes no time in taking over. She quickly takes out the broom and begins to dust and cleans every window in her reach.

She takes a small break and eats the snacks that Tamiko gave her before charging with her best friend bleach at the rest of the store. There's no way she can describe the amount of joy she gets whenever she tears the disorganized shelves and re-arranges them to her liking.

Kita even takes the time to make the small sections of fruits visually appealing. She sorts all the packaged foods by brand and color and when the store's owner comes back six hours later, he finds her putting the best products in perfect symmetry at the displaying window with their respective prices and even the day's discount.

The owner ends up very pleased when many more people end up buying things.

And for the first time since she started working here, Kita can finally work in peace.

* * *

The first wakeup call comes in the morning when she finishes her shift. Her shoulders are tense, and Kita has the feeling that maybe falling asleep on the chair hadn't been a good idea, because now she has a crinck in her neck.

She's near her home when she sees the man. At first, Kita thinks he's sleeping, but on a closer look, she realizes that the man is bleeding, surrounded by other _shinobi_ wearing the Konoha's protector on their foreheads and carrying green vests.

Kita goes to help him, thinking he's hurt. She knows some basic first aid. She's not a doctor but she can stop the bleeding until a doctor comes. But the moment she goes near them, one of the ninjas grabs her by the shoulder and throws her against the wall, momentarily knocking the breath out of her.

Her eyes water when the pain flares all over her back. She wants to move but soon feels something pointy making pressure at her throat. A blade, she notices. Kita forces her mouth to comply, to apologize but before she can even finish the sentence the other interrupts her by telling her to shut up.

She shuts her mouth.

"Traitors do not get help unless you're a traitor yourself," The ninja says and spits on the ground. Kita, on the other hand, doesn't move one single muscle, fearing for her life.

"I d-didn't know," Kita stammers out, feeling that in any given second she will burst into tears. Tamiko hadn't been lying about the super strength. It feels as the ninja is pulverizing her shoulder. "I swear I didn't know, please-"

"Then why did you approach him, uh?" Kita squeezes her eyes shut when the pain doubles, as the shinobi keep grasping her shoulder. She's going to die. A sob escapes her mouth. Oh god, she's going to die. _And all because she wanted to help people_.

"I'm sorry," She lets out between sobs, it isn't enough. "I swear to god I didn't know."

"Every civilian knows that one shouldn't interfere in shinobi business and yet you tried to aid the traitor-"

"Actually," Another voice pipes in, which makes the shinobi's grip falter. At this point, Kita's openly crying for her life. She's in so much pain, oh god, she's going to faint. She's going to faint. She just knows." She wasn't lying Hayashi-san. She doesn't know anything."

"Excuse me?"

"Wanatabe Kita has amnesia, Hayashi-san."

She opens her eyes to identify her savior. It's one of the policemen that guides her whenever she's lost. A man a few years older than her, with brown almost black hair reaching his neck and black onyx eyes. With such a peculiar expression and a frowny face, that Kita isn't surprised to see other _shinobi _falter.

He gives her a curt nod, gently breaks her out of the other's grasp and hands the bag Tamiko made her swear to always carry with her to the shinobi. All while Kita keeps crying, smearing the makeup she put so much effort on last night.

"Her grandma stitched on both sides of the bag her condition Hayashi-san, "And now the other shinobi looks uncomfortable when the policeman does some hand signs and the multiple flower pattern Tamiko stitched transforms in Kanji Kita can't read. "She doesn't know."

Later that night, when she's back at work, she peeks under her blouse and sees the massive bruise surrounding her shoulder. The mix of black and blue reaches even reaches part her neck and whenever she must raise her arms, it _hurts_.

Two minutes later, she begins to silently cry.

_She honestly didn't know._

* * *

It's one of her few days off when Kita asks Tamiko about _shinobi_. While also experiencing for the first time the wonders of having a _kotatsu _in their home.

She wiggles her toes under the covers and melts. When Tamiko had covered the wooden table with a heavy blanket, Kita didn't give it too much thought. But placing underneath the center table an electric heater? And the heavy blankets enclosing the heat? Now that's, ladies and gentlemen, that's_ genius_. The heat feels _amazing_.

She exhales, careful to not move her shoulder too much. After Tamiko noticed Kita's stiffness and asked her, Kita burst into tears and told her what had happened. Tamiko didn't scold her and the next day, she gave her an oil infusion and a salve along with instructions. She's not complaining. The salve does wonders for her shoulder.

"What do you want to know Kita-chan?" Tamiko asks her, pushing the miso bowl towards her. Aside from the soup, there are three dishes along with rice. Rice is like the equivalent bread in North America. They eat so much that Kita still doesn't know how they don't get sick of it.

Right now, she has some grilled fish and some cucumber salad, and Tamiko is giving her a look that means she will need to pick another side dish soon. She adds, rather clumsily with her prehistoric chopstick skills, the spinach salad to her plate before she awakens the granny's ire and chews.

Tamiko hums in approval and centers her attention to her plate. The cuisine's quite different than what she used to eat; as here people rely heavily on fish and rice. There's also a lot of different types of sauce they use here, and different food that makes her mouth salivate.

She finishes chewing, and then Kita asks her.

"Everything," Kita says, eyeing the other heater in the room. Ever since she heard Tamiko cough too many times the other night, she bought another heater for Tamiko. Kita knows the electricity bill this month is going to hurt, but Kita doesn't mind.

At least Tamiko won't feel cold.

_Tomorrow I'll start searching for roof prices,_ she reminds herself just as Tamiko begins to explain how the shinobi organizational system works. And for being ninjas it's a hell more complicated than Kita had previously though. Some of it makes sense. The Hokage rules the village and its word is the law, and others in which it doesn't; like how the shinobi forces are divided into three groups; regular forces, ANBU, and the medical teams.

_So, the guy from the other day had been chūnin, uh?_

"You were a kunoichi?" She asks after Tamiko finishes explaining the shinobi ranks and slips a piece of information that Kita turns to her advantage. She can't forget how Tamiko easily healed her the other day.

_This is it_.

"Obaa-san?"

"It's not important anymore Kita," Tamiko says, shaking her head. "It's been a long time since I last wielded a weapon,"

But Kita is stubborn and wants to learn more. If she can get only a glimpse of the type of magic _shinobi_ can perform, maybe Kita can find a way to create a technique to bring her back to her world.

"Grandma," Kita insists. "Why did you retire?"

"To focus on my clan. It's not something I regret doing," Tamiko says but when she sees Kita mope, Tamiko laughs which results in Kita moping even more. Then, when Kita's starting to believe she won't get anything else, Tamiko begins to tell her about her younger days when she still hadn't established in Konoha.

That night Kita goes to sleep thinking about wind balls, magic strings that can cut people in two and words that chanted correctly can seal things within another object.

* * *

Kita looks at the price again and blinks. She doesn't know whether it's the lack of sleep for doing extra shifts or if this is the price of fixing the roof. She blinks again when she eyes the other options. This is the third shop she has visited today, that can fix the awful mess they have on the roof.

The same roof is making Tamiko sick. She's been coughing more, and Kita is really worried about her. And for the third time in a row, she sees the gigantic budget and must bite her tongue to not cry.

It's so unfair.

Everything is so unfair.

"Are this…" She starts but her voice breaks because she...she can't exactly afford to pay 145,000 Ryō. Not unless she stops paying Tamiko's heart medication and stops eating for 5 months.

She barely earns 150 Ryō per hour.

"Are there any cheaper options?" She ends the sentence and the seller gives her an annoyed stare that makes her duck her head ashamed. Kita knows she won't get any discounts. So, with a quick thanks, she goes out, with her head down and burst into tears the moment she enters the house.

Not noticing the two shadows that had been following her for the past week.

* * *

Kita has a feeling that something went bad, the moment her shift finishes and she takes her time walking to her house. Only to be immediately greeted by a stern Tamiko who immediately asks her, between coughs, if she did something yesterday.

"No…?" Kita replies but somehow it ends up as a question. Tamiko, on the other hand, takes her inside and it's there when she realizes there's a letter resting in the kitchen. Her curiosity only gets worse when she notices that the letter is addressed to none other than herself.

_For Wanatabe Kita_

"It arrived yesterday," Tamiko comments while taking a sip of her tea. This time it's white tea, the one that's imported _from Sun-…Sunday? Sun? Sune?_ Kita doesn't remember the name that well, but it's the tea Tamiko only drinks eat whenever she feels sick.

When Kita doesn't try to open Tamiko finally loses her patience and snaps.

_I'm going to buy another heater_

"What are you waiting for Kii-chan? The letter won't open for itself."

And that's...how Kita learns who wants to meet with her.

"Oh dear," She can hear Tamiko whispering, before coughing more. The leader of a military dictatorship wants to meet with her.

Cue massive breakdown.

* * *

Winter has come to stay, and Kita is exhausted. There are heavy bags under her eyes, but there's nothing more she can do except doing more night shifts to afford the roof. She needs to find another job, maybe two more before she can talk to a bank about getting a loan because at this point her body is barely keeping up.

She rubs her eyes and goes back to the crossword book she bought the other day. Then two guys with masks enter the store. They're so quiet that, even with the many bells attached to the door, Kita almost misses it.

Kita glances at the two people before looking at the clock hanging on the wall. 4:38 AM. They must have recently got back, uh? She thinks while glancing at the snack section she restocked a few hours ago. Because for some strange reason ninjas are fond of the energy bars they have here.

She studies the ANBU a little bit more. One of them is wearing a crow mask and the other a boar. Kita wants to ask how do they get a mask; (like do they come up with the name or is it chosen by their superior?) but Tamiko's advice keeps ringing in her ears, on how she should avoid looking and interact with ANBU, so she goes back to word crossing, deep in thought.

She's already got the word "magnificent" and she knows that one of these words in kana means "lovable" except she can't differentiate what means what-

Kita jolts out of her seat when Crow decides, out of nowhere, to drops ten energy bars in front of the counter without a warning. Jesus motherfucking Christ. She raises her head with wide eyes, and not too far from Crow is Boar holding twenty rest of the bars.

_These stupid fucking ninjas-_

"That will be 256 Ryō sir," Kita says even if the last part sounds wrong to her ears, sticking her hands forward. She still has a hard time pronouncing some words, but it's less common now. Now the vendors can understand her whenever she asks for the price of ham and fruit.

It's an improvement.

"And 512 Ryō for you sir," She fishes the money they leave at the counter and counts it before saying a quick _"Have a good day and thank you for buying at Ichikawa's"_ as the bell rings signaling, they're gone. She leans on the chair, with her heart beating twenty miles per hour.

She _hates _ANBU because...they don't speak at all. They nod their heads sometimes and point at the stuff that they want to be reheated, but they never talk.

_It doesn't matter_. She goes back to the crossword book and she forgets about the encounter. _Stupid ninjas. _Except that all the joy that came with earning an extra 1500 Ryō vanishes the moment she finds a pale Tamiko collapsed in the living room, on the verge of unconsciousness.

* * *

The meeting will take place tomorrow and at this point, Kita just wants to get over this quickly. She's just tired of having to deal with everything and having the intrusive thoughts attack her...because what would...why the meeting? Why would the Hokage want to meet with her? Does this have to do with the orphanage attack? Will they start asking questions?

Oh god, what if they _do_ start asking questions. How will she be able to answer them? Will they ask for names? Kita doesn't remember any names, and the original Wanatabe Kita never mentioned in her diaries Tamiko or the childrens' names.

Can she fake it? Or should she tell that she doesn't remember but- but what about if they realized she's not Kita? Shit. That she comes from another world? Double shit. And if so, what will do they to her? Triple shit. Will they kill her? Torture her? What if they add Tamiko into this-?

"I'm scared," She whispers in the dark clutching harder the covers. Tamiko's health hasn't gotten better, and the doctor has already told her she should be prepared for the worst.

"I'm really _scared."_

* * *

It's around nine in the morning when Crow finishes writing the report and goes to the Hokage building. Luckily the Hokage hasn't got a meeting, so Crow makes it short.

"I'm glad the mission went well Crow," Sarutobi comments with the report on his hands, skipping past the "_CONFIDENTIAL", _and going to the last page to read all the symptoms and side effects. "It didn't take too long for the final dose to make effects?"

"No sir," The ninja replies, "I applied it three minutes before the relative came home and noticed it. Or else by the time the target got attended by the medics, it would have been too late."

"And for the past couple of days, the secondary target hasn't suspected of anything?"

"Not at all sir."

"Good," Sarutobi declares eyeing the clock. He had about four more hours to waste before he can talk to Wanatabe Kita. He reads the report for the last time and signs it. It's a shame that they had to momentarily take out Wanatabe Tamiko from the equation, but it's better to prevent another disaster from happening. He could have easily gone with the option of genjutsu, but kunoichi like Tamiko are immune to most of them.

And after what happened to Hayashi Sao for hurting Tamiko's granddaughter, Sarutobi doesn't want to take a chance. Especially since Hayashi hasn't awakened from his medically induced coma. And Sarutobi has the feeling that it will take a while for the medics to get rid of the strange-looking seals. The same seals that once made Uzushiogakure no Sato so powerful.

"That will make the meeting easier," As much as he harbors mixed feelings about his retired colleague, he won't kill her. Tamiko's knowledge can be passed to the fourth's son. He simply doesn't want the meeting to fail.

"Dismissed."

* * *

_Hi guys! I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am for all the wonderful feedback I've gotten over the past few days. It inspired me to finish the chapter earlier than I anticipated! I hope you like it. If so, please let me know! I love reading reviews!_

_And also I wanted to talk about OC. I never disclosed her sexuality (except that she came out of the closet and fell in love with a girl), so for the record, I consider her bisexual. The reason why she easily got attached to Tamiko is that OC is a total softie for the elderly (and spoiler alert, babies). She values relationships and since her family kicked her out of the house once she came out, she tries to form meaningful relationships with the people she cares about._

_As to Kita's pay, I used my last brain cell doing the math so the 150 Ryō equivalents what a few retail stores pay in the US (around $13.5 per hour. A little higher than what target pays according to the internet). Then again, I may be wrong (I suck at math) but you get the idea, right? And lastly, the OC won't ever remember her name in the nearby future, because of reason™ so I give free rein to call her whatever you like!_

_Thank you for reading and hope you have a good day!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to ****100pureawesomeness for beta reading this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Kita knows this isn't real, the moment she's facing a Tamiko who's hair isn't grey. There are fewer wrinkles on her face, and she can now see now why Tamiko told her all Wanatabe's have red hair. Unlike Kita, who has auburn hair, Tamiko's is a darker shade of red.

But even with that, she can still recognize her. Tamiko is sitting in front of her, in a big room and she can faintly smell incense burning. They're in a ceremony type of room. She's not the only one there; there are four more members in the room beside her and a bunch more behind her. There's a giant flag with a red spiral adorning the back of the wall.

There are people at each side of Kita, that faintly gives her familiar vibes, but they're not Kita's parents. There's grief bottled inside her body. The type of grief and loss no one should never go through. They are wearing the same forehead protector ninja have, but it's Tamiko that catches her attention. Her lips are pursed, and she's frowning. What are you frowning about, is what Kita wants to say but the moment she opens her mouth Tamiko talks.

"Absolutely not," Kita can hear her say, effectively shattering the sweet grandmother image she has of Tamiko. "You will not attend, and this is final Kita."

"This isn't fair," Her mouth moves without her asking, but the voice comes out more childish. She glances down at her hands and they're tiny. Very small. This is Kita's childhood memories, she thinks. _Let me show you, _she hears and suddenly she's not in control of Kita's body anymore. It's like she's seeing the real Kita's memories but from an inside perspective. She can hear her thoughts, her feelings, and her action, but nothing more.

"I want to make my family proud."

"There are other ways you can make us proud without attending the Academy," Tamiko offers no compromise and she can hear someone softly weeping. It makes Tamiko's eyes soften and soon her voice changes to the one she knows by heart.

"Kita, this isn't the end of the world," She says but the real Kita doesn't want to hear it. Memories of a bunch of kids excitedly lining up to sign up in the academy flashes through Kita's mind, and there's more weeping. "The civilian school is a perfectly good choice for a young lady like you. Soon enough you'll get passed through this just like your other cousins"

"I hate you," The little girl whispers, balling her tiny fist. She raises her head and screams so everyone can hear her. "I hate you!"

It faintly resonates throughout all the room, and for a second no one speaks. Then all Kita's aunt and uncles start yelling at her to apologize to her clan head, but Kita stands her ground.

Tamiko is briefly taken aback by her outburst before narrowing her eyes and telling her.

"Hate me all you want, but you won't take a step into the academy unless I die," The kid whispers a terrified _no_, but Tamiko holds no mercy at shattering her hopes. "Mito-shishou gave me her blessing to keep our family legacy a secret and I will not compromise our family's safety for your selfish desires, insolent brat. Your father would be ashamed of this tantrum."

_What happened? _She wants to ask but the real Kita sobs, shakes her head and runs. _Just watch._

Little Kita as far as her little chubby legs can carry her, wiping the angry tears with her worn-out sleeve. Soon enough the house disappears from her view and she's in the forest from the village she's been forced to live in.

The real Kita wants to go _back home_. Home, where she would sleep with the sound of ocean waves crashing on rocks and where seashell picking existed and she would decorate her braids with whatever the sea gave her. A place where her parents were alive, and she would live without the fear of being discovered and carefree.

A place that was _hers_.

Now, there's no second in which Kita can't live without stupid rules. Do not speak to strangers, do not get out of the house without permission, no wandering around, no playing with children that aren't from her clan, no mention whatsoever of her clan's true name or origin. No getting near the only redhead around her age that this stupid village has branded.

No, _nothing_ and she can't understand why.

The child brings her hands to her knees and leans against the trunk of an old tree, surrounded by spiky bushes. They scratch her skin, but the girl doesn't care, wishing she'd never been forced to leave her home. She stays there, hidden under the foliage this stupid forest gives, until the sun hides and there's darkness everywhere.

Her hands and her small body begin to get cold and she shivers, but she refuses to go back to the house she'll be forced to apologize for something she so wants so badly.

For the only thing that can bring justice to her parents. The girl feels a desperate sense of longing for her parent and the child cries some more, because now no one gives her even a glimpse of attention anymore. There are no goodnight kisses or even stories the old Kita used to have. Now there are only chores and work, obligation and taking care of the clan's younger cousins as the rest of the family members work to maintain the clan afloat.

"Kita?" She hears someone calling Kita's name, but the real Kita refuses to acknowledge the woman that orders her around. The woman that years ago had been the center of her world; the one that had taught her how to read and write first, to differentiate what type of seashells work the best for braid decorating is now the one she despises the most. "There you are, the whole clan has been looking for you."

She feels Tamiko tugging Kita's hand.

"Come on Kita," Tamiko gently says to her, crouching down to her eye level. "I talked to your aunt and she'll let you sleep in the upper bunker tonight, so you only get to share it with your other cousin Azumi and not your three younger cousins. That way you'll get a good night's rest and tomorrow morning we'll inscribe you in the civilian school, alright?"

Kita weakly shakes her head.

"We'll even make Kabayaki," Tamiko says, trying to coax Kita out of her hiding spot. "It's not the same fish we used to have at Uzu, but it's still your favorite. I'm sure that if we hurry, we will still have enough time to get some school utensils. I'll even buy you the spiral notebook I saw you eyeing the other day at the market. You won't need to use Haru's notebook and backpack. You'll get a new one, isn't that nice?"

A sob escapes from the girl's mouth.

"Now, come on now Kita or else dinner will go cold," A beat before she adds with a smile that breaks another piece of the poor girl's heart. "Your mother used to always say how much you wanted to learn to knit, and guess what? The school even teaches how to knit. The clan agreed to pay for it, aren't they thoughtful? You'll need to thank Uncle Yoshi for the idea."

Another sob.

"Kita dear," Tamiko says more worried when the child doesn't answer any of her peace offerings. Tamiko has never seen Kita behave like this before, ever since they barely escaped through Iwa breeding camps. "Please, talk to me."

"I miss home," Kita whispers and wishing the other countries hadn't decided to invade her home. The same home many of her father's rank had died for, so they could give the rest enough time to flee. The village both of her parents gave their lives for.

"I miss otou-san," Kita trembles at the memories of her beloved father. The other Kita _(the fake one)_ watches how the memories of the real Kita plays. The one that always had prettier braid than her. _Someday I will teach you, sunshine_ _when you're older and boring like your old man_, and Kita would always yell excitedly, bouncing so her father would pick her up. _I'll never be boring! I'll be a ninja just like you!_

Then, the child would trace all the silly looking tattoos her father had on his arms that would _shine into different colors_ when his father did a hand sign.

"I want him to come back," The real Kita whispers, longing for her father. "I miss him."

Uzumaki Kita will never follow her father's footsteps. Her wings will be cut and put away to keep her family safe and not even her grandmother Tamiko, will grant Kita her most desired wish. The child can already picture how her life will now be; chained into taking care of the clan's sixteen younger cousins and five babies while doing her homework.

Because unlike her older cousins who were lucky enough to not have any prominent and distinctive Uzumaki main branch traits, Kita is the living image of her father. She's been cursed with having her mother's hair and her father's gift.

A gift that if known, will threaten the rest of her family. A family that has implemented every single precaution to not get recognized. They changed their last name to Wanatabe and many of Kita's aunties and uncles monthly dye their hair. It's one of the many things they did after Mito-hime convinced the current Hokage to permit them to live here four months ago, with the excuse that Tamiko is the only living non-Uzu apprentice of the late Uzumaki Arashi in the sealing arts.

Konoha wasted to time in offering a temporary asset stay to the whole clan, in exchange for Tamiko's knowledge in the sealing arts and a job to be Konoha's sealing master once they extracted the demon inside Mito-hime.

But even with that, it doesn't make it any easier for them. There are certain contributions they must do for the village. There is a certain number of members her clan must annually offer to the academy so they can fill the Hokage's rank and swear loyalty.

But even with the lies and perfect cover story, the years of clan history they created go along with Mito-hime fabricated story, they're still in danger.

Tamiko has explained more than once what will happen if Fire Shadow knows about their lineage. Not even the public support Mito-sama gave them so they could live here and Tamiko's scary reputation, will protect them. They will be treated like nothing more than living cattle. It will be like Iwa, all over again. The oldest will be picked apart so they can harvest their special chakra and the youngest one will be experimented until they perish so see if they carry the same abilities Uzumaki Mito and the other redhead have. And all the females will be constantly bred against their will, like Iwa and in which they barely got out.

The real Kita can remember the night when the Iwa men at the camp, came to the small room she shared with Tamiko. The fear that passed through Kita's small body once the man immobilized Tamiko so they would grab her, except that Tamiko made multiple chains come out of her body to protect her, the Uzukage's only daughter.

They took Tamiko that night.

She came two hours later, stiffly walking with blood all over her torn up pants and hugging her with force, whispering _I'll always be there to protect you, Kita. _The next day, Tamiko and the rest of her clan took pleasure in blowing up the whole breeding camp. And took the course to Konoha, seeking Uzumaki Mito for asylum.

Where Tamiko taught her throughout all the journey with all the other children that had survived, the different types of edible plants and the best way to run from an enemy. How to fish and survive in the wild, and many tales her clan did to scare the fears that come to them at night.

Kita hugged Tamiko each night until they reached Konoha.

Now Kita's dream will be sacrificed for the clan's wellbeing. She'll be granted the chance to study, but she'll never become anything more than a civilian. Unlike her older cousin Haru, she'll never get out of these stupid village walls and will never be able to bring justice to her parent's death and it _hurts_. The child's eyes prickle with tears at the thought of her parent's killers roaming free.

"Oh, my dear sunshine," Now hands are bringing Kita closer and the real Kita clings to Tamiko with her life. Hoping that she'll smell the faint perfume on her mother's yukata that now Tamiko wears. The pain, the loneliness, the grief accumulated are unbottled and the quiet sniffles turn into heartbreaking sobs.

"I'm so sorry," Tamiko whispers when the yukata gets stained with the girl's tear, hating herself for putting her granddaughter through this. They had sought Konoha for asylum, and yet now they are forced to suffer even more. "I shouldn't have to mention your father. I apologize, please forgive me. Ayashi would be so proud of his little sunshine for being so brave."

"I w-wanted to follow his fo-footsteps," The child lets out between sobs, because she knows what will happen. She watched what happened to her cousin Kei, who died under the sealing at their failed stay at Ame. Her access to chakra will be sealed for precaution and all the extensive training and meditation she did under her beloved father's tutelage will be gone.

_Along with her dreams._

"You're going to be okay, sunshine," She tells her with the nickname his father had given her when she was barely three years old. She picks her up, even when Tamiko's back protests, and walks her home. Whispering all the reassurance that can pop through the elderly's mind.

That night she's given her long lost plushie her mother knit for her, for comfort. It was one of the few things that survived the massacre. She had named it Mio. Now, one of the ears is missing and the black button eyes had been taken out to fix Haru's ceremonial inauguration attire. Kita goes to sleep with it, clutching Mio and crying all night as her two-year-old cousin Azumi sleeps next to her without a care in the world.

And careful to not awaken the eight small children that sleep here too. Two days later, she's admitted to the civilian school and goes wearing a brand-new backpack and many spiral notebooks that faintly resemble her clan's symbol. An aunt gives her a second-hand yukata that strategically hides all the bandages where the sealing took place. Tamiko gives her two headbands to go along with her freshly dyed black hair and one of her uncles gives her a cute looking bento even if it's mostly filled with rice every day.

They even give her apples, which is exclusively given to her academy cousins. Tamiko sneaks into her backpack whatever wild berries they can find since their limited funds barely give them enough to survive, to cheer her up. Anything to make her smile again.

It does not.

The child goes to the school with red-rimmed eyes and comes back running to lock herself in the bathroom she shares with all her cousins and touch the seals on her back, wishing they would resemble her father's delicate tattoo. Days turn into weeks, and Kita's family gets more concerned when the happiest child in the clan stops being happy at all.

She stops picking up flowers and singing to the babies. She stops making funny faces, sewing, and gardening. She does her homework and cares for the younger kids. She teaches them how to write and how to speak. She braids each cousin's hair and sees from afar with envy and hurt each cousin that is permitted to enter the academy and train.

And whenever the memory of her beloved parents attacks her or one of her many cousins begins to tell the family the latest Jutsu or mission they performed or learned; she knits with anger. Every single piece of clothing she makes comes out ugly and mismatched, and eventually, cousins stop asking her for new clothes. Her role of fixing the clan's clothing is transferred to her aunt Meji, after Haru's pant opened the second he left home, embarrassing the freshly graduated genin.

She can sense how Kita's family watch as Kita gets sadder each day and they harbor more hate to Konoha, for putting the Uzukage's daughter through this. Tamiko prays day and night for Uzumaki Kita, her only living granddaughter that survived the massacre at Uzu and the horrors they lived at Ame and Iwa, so one day she can forgive her for this.

Until one day Tamiko has enough and breaks whatever grief and hurt Kita has left with hugs, dango, storytime, and tea. Kita's transferred into her grandmother's quarter and she doesn't go to school for the rest of the month as Tamiko smothers her with sleepovers, kisses on her heart-shaped forehead and hugs. As she erases every single ounce of hurt with all the love Tamiko has left to give in this world.

Because Tamiko will not lose the last link she has with her past son, for the village she has no loyalty with. It takes time, but soon Uzumaki Kita scars begin to heal. When the month passes by and Kita must go back to school, Tamiko informs her she'll take her as an apprentice.

Teaching her the seals that were created by the legendary Uzumaki Arashi, Tamiko's father.

Uzumaki (now Watanabe) Kita will not be a ninja and won't ever likely wield a weapon, do the Jutsu her clan was famous for or face a foe like her father's. But she will have the fūinjutsu knowledge that was feared and desired by all five nations.

She will be safe and loved by her clan, away from all the evil machinations the other leaders made their clan go through. Because for Tamiko's, there's nothing more important than family and no obstacle a family that stands strong together.

Uzumaki Kita will be a civilian but she will be _powerful_, like her late son Ayashi.

And for the first time in six months, Kita smiles again and tackles Tamiko in a bear crushing hug. The next week all the family's youngest and babies magically end up wearing cute looking animal crochet hats, and Haru gets his beloved pants fixed. Every uncle and aunt end up with a mysterious pair of hand-knitted socks that have the Uzu symbol stitched and in Tamiko's room, there's a handmade orange scarf that vaguely resembles the one her son Ayashi used to wear all the time.

She can see Tamiko wearing the scarves every day, as she accompanies Ayashi's daughter to school. Listening to the child excitedly rambling about the latest multiplication quiz she aced, and thanking the gods for making Kita survive Uzu, Ame and Iwa.

As she thanks life for giving her such a wonderful granddaughter.

* * *

Kita wakes up tasting ash on her mouth and the voice to _protect my family _ringing in her ears. She blinks and yawns, rubs her eyes and glances at the clock. It takes approximately forty seconds for her brain to realize what day it is.

Today is the day.

She stretches like a cat, sighs and goes straight to the bathroom. All while trying to remember the dream that visited her last night. It was the type of dream that once awakened quickly washes away and now Kita can only grasp the remains of what was left.

All she can remember, while fervently scrubbing, was about the real Kita and Tamiko. Something about..._childhood?_ She scrubs her neck, and the idea quickly goes away.

Either way, it was one _hell _of a dream.

Kita finishes drying and eyes the mirror, while she takes out all her weaponry. Now, there's another urgent thing she must do and that is to focus on what today brings. And Kita is prepared with the only thing she knows, apart from her book knowledge and her 200-hundred page thesis on the cultural impact of Jane Austen's romantic works in modern media.

"Crap," She curses when her shaky hands mess up the eyeliner for the fifth time. On the bathroom's counter are two lipsticks that can go with the winged eyeliner she's trying to pull off. With her trembling hands, it's becoming harder than she had anticipated.

But if there's one thing Kita knows well is stubbornness. She knows firsthand the power make-up can have. Well, …it was the only thing that came to mind after having the twenty-minute thinking session at the shower. If she's going to die today, might as well die with some blush on her cheeks, right?

After what seems like an eternal battle, her eyeliner is even, and Kita lets out the breath she's been holding for a while. Good. She looks at her eye and hums, inspecting if both eyes are even, before choosing the darkest red lipstick.

"You can do this," Kita says to the mirror and with the lipstick on her hand. She has seven hours left before the meeting. The letter didn't address why the Hokage wants to talk with her. Probably about the orphanage. But right now, she has filed that thought to not panic.

Well, she hasn't panicked so far, so everything is under control. She's going with the full confident makeup Kita only did in her other world whenever she wants to get her point across. Now her point is not get killed. Because deep down, she's terrified.

If what the brief history class she took back at college taught her, is that she shouldn't take this meeting lightly. Konoha is the military of Fire country, with some republican values. And if the Hokage, the leader of this militarized village, decides she isn't useful to this village, she will easily disappear.

She doesn't want to die.

She eyes the small flowers she picked up on her way back home yesterday, hoping that the Hospital here doesn't ban them. Ever since the latest hospital bill attacked her funds and left her near bankruptcy, she's been forced to start eating those stupid miso soup ramen packets again. And with not enough funds to buy the pretty flowers from the Yamanaka shop either.

The wildflowers she picked the river don't compare to the marvelous flower selection the Yamanaka has, but they are still cute. She only hopes Tamiko likes them. She heads to her bedroom that's now hers after the cleaning spree and thinking what type of ramen she can pick.

Knowing that if she adds a little more water, the ramen doesn't taste so salty. With that in mind, takes out the least ugly outfit Wanatabe Kita has and tries not to cringe. Because for some strange reason they're very...plain and baggy. Yes, that's the only definition Kita can do without insulting the real Wanatabe Kita's clothing. Because they're _horrible_ and _antiquated_. Almost ninety percent of the clothes make her look weird, and the few dresses the other Kita has looks like sack potatoes.

Let her repeat that.

_Sack potatoes_.

She's pretty sure her other grandma dressed up better. It's honestly ridiculous how baggy her clothes are. There isn't one single piece of clothing that doesn't make her look like a clown. Did Wanatabe Kita like _those? _Or was it a low self-esteem kind of thing?

If so, Kita doesn't quite comprehend. Sure, there are some love handles and stretch marks on her rounder stomach due to her pregnancy. But, for a woman who lost her baby in her third trimester? Wanatabe Kita looks pretty darn good.

So, after searching throughout all of Kita's wardrobe she pulls out the least baggy dress and takes Tamiko's sewing kit.

"I'm doing you a favor," Kita says to the dress, picking a needle from the pincushion and turning the dress inside out. She takes out white chalk to draw the silhouette. Because deep inside Kita knows that to be treated seriously, she _needs _to look presentable.

She's sure Tamiko won't mind Kita using her sewing machine.

* * *

So, the thing about the Hokage Tower is that it's quite big. Whoever wanted this building to be terrifying did quite a good job. It's a three-story building, with two more two-story buildings attached to it. And for Kita's horrible sense of direction, it's hadn't been too hard to get to.

Just look for the gigantic red building at the base of the mountain.

The main building is filled with people, making her feel slightly claustrophobic. The only reason why Kita hasn't passed out from the nerves is that one of the paintings on the wall is slightly crooked to the left, messing with the decoration and the symmetry.

It's not a big thing.

At first glance, one wouldn't notice. But Kita is Kita and after fifteen minutes of intensely staring at the spot, is making her OCD gently whisper into her ear to take the matter into her own hands. It won't take long. And she knows many of the people crammed up here won't mind her standing up. Just a little nudge to the right…

_Don't you even dare._

Kita forces her hands to rest on her lap and focus on the people around her. She looks around and finds the clock that tells her it's nine-thirty AM. And the meeting is at 12. She sighs, hating herself for wanting to come earlier and slowly takes out the word crossing book, she didn't manage to complete from last time.

Eventually, she gets distracted by the amount of gossiping people around her. There are elders, women, and men sitting there talking about the latest academy graduates, the _Uchiguas? Uchiwa? Uchida?_ new district near the outskirts of the village, and how much their son or daughter are training to become the village's newest genin.

And more talking that Kita doesn't understand one bit, so she loses interest quick. All while there are three chūnin secretaries fervently working and a few ones looking at the clock that's in the room. It's there where Kita realizes that she looks out of place. The majority are wearing robes wrapped around their body and fastened with a sash.

And she's the only one in a fitted black dress with a coat to protect her from the cold. She looks more modern than the rest. _Oh crap. _What if this isn't appropriate here? What if wearing this dress is considered an offense to the—

But she's not showing anything, right? She kept the long sleeve length and only shortened the dress so it would reach her a little over her knees and not her feet because apparently, Wanatabe Kita had a very nun style. The only striking thing about it is the Peter Pan collar she made with the leftover fabric.

_Calm down_.

_You're simply overthinking this._

She takes a deep breath and counts to ten. Then the chūnin secretary working there, shouts for a number. Kita looks at her number and eyes the rest. She's number 45 and they recently called for number 22. Kita groans when another fifteen-minute pass and they're still at number 22.

Except...she feels a sudden change of..._air_? Kita raises her head, wanting to know what it is. And less than one meters from her, are the two ANBU from last time. And as if it's their cue, they turn their head and look right at her.

Something like fears begins to pool in Kita's stomach, but she swallows it down.

"Wanatabe Kita…?" A ninja, near the entrance of the room, calls her name. She stands up not knowing what the hell does this man want from her, but he gently starts guiding her towards some stairs.

"The Hokage is waiting for you," Kita's brain scrambles for a reply, and even she can admit it sounds stupid to her ears.

"But it's in two more hours," She says, kind of dumbfounded as the ninja chuckles and starts guiding her upstairs. Surely the Hokage must be busy. There must be paperwork or meetings or whatever a leader of a militarized ninja village do in their time.

"He sensed you coming in a while ago," and oh wow, what a _comforting _thing to say.

* * *

_What?_

That's the first thing that passed through her head once the ninja leaves her alone and immediately scans her surroundings.

For being a medium-sized office, it's surprisingly bare. _Minimalist _comes to her mind when the only distinctive thing in the office apart from the two bookshelves are four medium-sized windows that lead to a great view of the village.

_Great view, by the way._

But it isn't the bookshelf or the window that catches her attention. It isn't even the desk in the center of the room with two small piles of paperwork. It's the man behind the desk, looking at her with interest.

The _god of shinobi._

Who is an _old man_ sitting in a desk, with a pipe in his hand and wearing a red and white robe and a hat with the word..._fire…? _Her hands start shaking and she feels something inside her head tingling at the view of the hat.

It feels familiar, why?

Could it be old Kita memories?

"Wanatabe Kita, isn't it?" The man says, and for an older man, his hoarse raspy voice tells her he's a frequent smoker. Probably three to four doses of tobacco to end up with such a raspy voice and his _breath must smell horrible._

Kita nods her head, not knowing how the hell she must approach him. She knows he's probably judging her attire and tries with every sense of her soul to not coward away. But she's afraid. Very much afraid. And there's _something in the air_ that's making her feel slightly suffocated.

"Please take a seat," He orders, and Kita does it. He stares down at her, and for a brief minute, he doesn't say anything. Kita fidgets and tries to act normal. But from there she can see her file, with a picture attached. There's a small red cross on her name.

The old man gives her a tight smile, that for some reason reminds her of a hissing rattlesnake.

"You didn't have any trouble getting here?" Kita shakes her head, eyes wide open. And the old man chuckles at her nervousness and adds. "Good, good. I'm glad. I trust you know why I called you, Kita-san?"

"The orphanage, Hokage-sama?" She asks, feeling slightly light-headed when the Hokage places both his hand on the desk. She doesn't like the way the man is staring at her. Two seconds later, her legs start bouncing.

"Yes," He says, savoring the uncomfortable silence that stretches between them. His eyes bore into hers, almost as if he's clinically assessing before asking her. "Do you like children, Wanatabe Kita?"

Is this being some part of whatever evil manipulation a leader of a militarized village does to break the other's composure? If so, it's doing trick. Her eyes widen and she looks momentarily dumbstruck at his question.

"I do, Lord Fire Shadow," She says, hesitantly. It's not a total lie, she _loves _children. It's why she became a librarian and tried to inculcate reading to the younger generation. Her other co-workers had always said she was too soft for young patrons, but she always stood her ground on her belief.

But she has the suspicious her answer will backfire her.

"It must have felt difficult then, to survive the attack," He says savoring each word and Kita doesn't know how exactly she's supposed to answer this. "You worked there for almost four years in a row. A long-time don't you think?"

"Yes," She says, trying to come up with anything else to add, so the other won't notice she didn't know what to say. "I always loved taking care of kids."

She regrets it two seconds later when the Hokage asks her.

"Oh, do you?"

"Yes," Then an idea pops into her head since she only wants him to _stop looking at her_. She doesn't know why but it's making her nauseous. "I've always wanted to have kids. But ever since the orphanage, I find it difficult to look at them."

_There._

_Take that._

"There's another survivor from the attack," He says ignoring the sharp "_what"_ from her. "Unlike you, he's too small to fend for himself. I have tried to have someone care for him, but no one's willing."

His eyes seem to bore right into her, and she self-consciously lowers hers to stare at the floor.

"I want you to take care of him."

"I can't," Kita says without thinking. She locks eyes with the leader of this village, Fire shadow. She can't accept, she..._no,_ she cannot in good mind accept it. The mere thought of her taking care of someone smaller is just _no. _This is way, way too much. This must the universe mocking her again. Because she won't- s-she _can't _take care of no one. She barely survives day to day in this stupid world, and add another _small living creature_ while trying to find her way back no?

_No_.

_She can't._

Fire shadow narrows his eyes at her, letting her show his displeasure that suffocates her more.

"Hokage-sama," Kita squeaks, gulps but for some strange reason, her throat struggles to follow her command. "I cannot, in goodwill, offer my services when I find my-myself incapable to do what you ask me."

"Explain," He speaks, all the elderly gentleness gone and replaced by so much irritation in one single word and with so much force that makes Kita jolt in her seat.

Kita struggles to finish her thoughts, to find an excuse, _anything_ to convince this leader of this village to stop him from pursuing his wicked plans.

"I cannot take care of someone else because my house is not...is not in a good state," She babbles, thinking about the horrible house they're forced to in. _Yes, go for the house. _The house that despite all the many fix-it Kita tried to do before winter, is the same one that caused Tamiko's pneumonia. The doctor said it was due to fungus, meaning that either the walls or the floor in which Kita put so much effort are the culprits.

And it's not only that, but there's also leaking, poor insulation and the second floors still have broken windows. Not to mention that there are places on the second floor that in any given second will collapse. So much that Tamiko forbade her to go upstairs anymore. So put a small tiny human there? It was would be tremendously irresponsible. And if this some type of job interview, she's willing to go the extra way to fail this and convince lord Fire Shadow that, as much as Kita likes babies and children, she is the least capable human in the taking-care-of-babies department.

"My grandmother fell sick because our house's current state is...really bad," She babblers "A big part of the roof has been missing since October tenth and well, it has been hard for us to get warm."

There's a brief silence as she charges again, spilling whatever thing that goes through her mind.

"I recently got a job," She starts, eyes set on her hand resting in her lap. Thinking how the hell she's going to convince this man that Kita isn't mother material. "And it's a night shift on top of everything and... since my grandmother is still in the hospital, where would I leave him? The child would fall sick and I can't let that happen. It would be a tremendously irresponsible of me and an insult-"

"And insult to what?"

"And insult to Konoha and your orders...Hokage sa-sama" She finishes lamely wanting to wake in any given second in her other world. "I would do more harm than good."

"So, you're telling me that you're not opposed to the idea of taking care of a child," Fire Shadow says, more interested than ever. And for some strange reason, Kita feels like she did something wrong. "But you find yourself unsuitable for the task because of your home's infrastructure? And your job?"

"_Hai,"_ She nods, foolishly thinking she made her point. Sarutobi, on the other hand, smiles at her. She looks at him with anguish and realizes that his smile looks more like a scary sneer than anything. But before she can voice or add anything, the Fire Shadow quickly writes something on a piece of paper.

"Will this be enough for you to quit your other job?" Her trembling hands take the thin paper and she can help but gasp when she sees the number. It's surely this must be a joke. Then she hears him chuckles and saying in a well-mannered _"it's not excessive Wanatabe-san. This is a service you will be providing and that will benefit our village. It must be paid accordingly"_ to know she inadvertently said that thought out loud.

She apologizes before she sees the number twice, maybe even three times just to check if this is really what the Hokage is offering to her for taking care of a child.

This is four times her current salary.

Her eyes go back to the paper, thinking about possibilities. She still wants to reject her offer but...this pay... could mean she could stop doing all the extra shifts that are making her back hurt. This could mean she could have her weekends (of cleaning and washing dishes from a shop two blocks from her house, to afford Tamiko's hospital bill) back.

Logically speaking, this job would give her more free time to find a solution to how exactly she ended up here. Back to _her _world.

And realistically and financially speaking, this is the best that has happened to her. And _yet_, there's something she was exactly pinpoint because _why?_ Why would the Hokage, the _leader_ of this ninja village, talk to her about something so simple as taking care of a child?

Would the child be his relative? And if so, then where the hell is the rest of his family? Surely the Hokage must have other living relatives. He must be extremely powerful and belong to a well-respected family. But there's...this voice inside her head telling her _"do not ask him"_.

It could be related to the attack on October 10th Kita realizes. It makes sense, in a way. If the attack left more than fifty members of the Wanatabe family dead, Kita can imagine how many other people died that night. Even with that in mind, she can't allow Fire Shadow to convince her.

"I don't-"

"I'll make the necessary arrangements for your house to be livable," He interjects, and Tamiko blinks when Fire Shadow continues with his speech. The message is loud and clear, _do not open your mouth because your opinion is not important to this topic, _and it faintly reminds Kita of her father and grandfather on how they always said a "girls should be seen and not heard".

Misogynistic bullshit, and why did she ever think the Hokage would be different than the family that left her behind. A shadow appears next to him and gives the old man a file, and it's then when she realizes it's the same ANBU from the grocery store and the waiting room.

It's there when she also realizes she's been dozing from the conversation, due to the anxiety.

If so, Fire Shadow doesn't comment on it.

"Now let's talk about your obligations rewarding the child, shall we?" His eyes harden on her and Kita gulps. There's this dangerous thing in the air again that's making her nauseous, _again_. "I know what I ask for, is not easy. But in exchange for your house, you'll be responsible for every need of this child. You'll be his caretaker until he comes of age. Do I make myself clear?"

_Is this a threat?_

"I have big expectations of you, Kita-san," He finalizes, and she soon feels the same chūnin secretary touching her shoulder, signaling she needs to go. But before she stands up from her chair, he adds. "Do not fail me Wanatabe, because I won't be lenient."

_Yep._

_A threat._

"Wait! does the child," Kita stammers out, trying to piece everything together. "Does the child have a name?"

"His name is Naruto," He says and the next second she's at the exit of the building with a folder on her hand and a piece of paper, with the date she's supposed to pick up the child that was forcefully entrusted into her hands.

_Naruto_.

And strangely so, the name makes her think about a redhead named Kushina. And just like any other thing since waking up in this world, Kita doesn't have one single idea what the name could mean. But hey, at least she's _alive_.

It's something...right?

* * *

_Hi guys! I'm so sorry for updating so frequently. I know I should do this thing like an update once in a month or a week kind of thing, but my muse has declared this chapter will be posted tonight whether I like it or not. I hope you don't mind. __The reason why OC didn't object so hard towards Hiruzen was that:_

_a) it's the Hokage, and OC is terrified of him._

_b) Hiruzen let her believe it's a child. But...he never fully specified the "age" of the child. If the OC had known it was a baby, she would have never accepted it, even if Sarutobi gave her 5000000000000 Ryo, lol. So it will definitely be a surprise her knowing it's not a child but a cute baby naruto_

_Also! I may be taking a brief break to recharge. If you like this so far, please let me know! And I would love to hear your thoughts on old Kita's memories. Anyways, as always thank you for reading and I hope you like this chapter! :D_


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to ****100pureawesomeness for beta reading this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Her heart feels as if it's going a thousand beats per minute. She shuts her eyes to avoid throwing up and keeps grabbing whatever soft thing she's clutching for dear life. Because the world is spinning around her. Another wave of nausea hits her, and all her belongings fall to the ground.

She gasps, trying to battle against the nausea.

God, she's so _dizzy_.

In the end, she ends up vomiting. But before she vomits all over her clothes, someone touches her hair and redirects her. A pair of arms gently direct her to a nearby bench. She gasps, tasting bile but soon enough she feels something pressing against her lips. _Water_. It's a canteen of water, and it feels amazing for her sore throat, who in any given second is about to vomit a second time.

She sits there in the stone bench until the dizziness passes, surrounded by multiple people who are coming through. Shame feels her core for doing such an embarrassing scene in front of people and near the Hokage building, no less. She wants to flee, to break out of the stranger's hold, anything that will mean not facing another second in this cruel world. But before she can control her body or her emotions, she's crying like there's no tomorrow.

Because this isn't fair. None of this fair. She didn't- she didn't want- she _never wanted_ this. And now, on top of everything this horrible world is giving her, she'll now be forced to take a child whether she wants to or not.

God, she was stupid.

So stupid, thinking she could convince Lord Fire Shadow. So naive, so innocent and so _borderline stupid_ spilling words, thinking it would change his mind. Instead, he used her words to his advantage. Now, she's another pawn and her life are on the line if she doesn't meet his expectations.

The words were real, and the threat is now placed.

She'll have to take care of the child unless she wants to die and everything is so unfair, and why this is happening to her, hadn't she suffer enough, she can't do this, she _can't do this_, make it stop, _make it stop, please_-

And out of nowhere, she smells flowers. The sobs stop right there because she remembers. She remembers the smell. It's the same smell that her flower beds gave when winter had passed, and spring was in the air.

The type of smell that would make relax her before going to work. Or tend her garden after work to keep the anxiety away. She loved her flower garden, took care of it every single day.

She had a variety; pink roses, sunflowers, and small white chrysanthemums were her favorite. And this smell brings her back when the stems were wet, and she could feel the dampness seeping through her woolen gloves and-

"Better?" Kita hears from afar and begins to order her to take deep breaths. She follows the stranger's command and begins inhaling deeply through her nose and exhaling slowly through the mouth, because the voice is telling her so. It takes time but she slowly begins to feel better. She opens her eyes and sees how gloves callused hands carefully detaches Kita's hands from the stranger's clothes and into her lap.

"Thank you," She stammers out and glances up to thank her savior. It's the same ANBU from before. Crow. Feeling slightly dazed, she watches how Crow picks up all her stuff and places it into her lap. Even the ridiculous childish notebook in which Kita used to draw a map of the village and all the important stops, to not get lost. And a bunch of other things she doesn't remember having.

She blushes when Crows checks her temperature with its gloved hands and with a hand on her back in case her equilibrium fails, she guides her to the civilian district.

"Now go home and rest," Crows says and before Kita can ask why Crow helped her at all, Crow disappears, leaving a trail of leaves. But even as she goes to Yamanaka Hana to buy sunflowers for Tamiko, her stomach still feels light and fluttery and there's a blush that no matter how many flowers she smells can erase it. She places her bag inside Tamiko's room and spends the rest of the day, deep in thought.

After all, Kita has always been weak for deep female voices.

* * *

This time Kita dreams of hospital hallways and monthly appointments. There's a weird mix of feelings right now. Sadness, shame, and strangely...happiness. Her stomach is rounder and bigger, and she's sitting, waiting for her doctor's appointment.

Her hair isn't black as last time or even brown. There are long strands of auburn hair that she tied in a ponytail, and she took the time for the dress to match her hair. She's in a good mood, even if she has the feeling that something happened last week with her family.

She feels… freer, if it makes sense. She recently signed a lease for a new apartment, and for the first time since she became an adult, she will have some privacy. There are images of decoration and the type of tea set she wants, along with setting all the furniture she bought the other day.

And most importantly, she's excited about what the doctor will say. Kita has the feeling it has to do with a baby because for the rest of the dream she's thinking about what type of color should she pick for knitting socks and clothes too small for a child.

Then another person sits next to her. The stranger has an interesting type of red hair that for some reason reminds her of her family. Eventually, the stranger introduces herself, as _Hello I'm Kushina, nice to meet you 'ttebane!"_

_Hi, I'm Kita_ She says, rather timidly and the rest of the dream is spent on both chatting about their due dates and baby's names and clothes until Kushina becomes her friend.

_Kushina._

_Uzumaki Kushina._

* * *

The next day, Kita wakes up to someone knocking on her door and thinking what the hell does the name Kushina means. It's the second day in a row where the name comes to her mind. It sounds familiar and reminds her of red. So much red. She'll ask Tamiko about it. Maybe it could be her friend.

She seriously wants a friend or talks to someone that isn't Tamiko. Kita misses going out and having drinks, talking about her problem or even having a sleepover. Wanatabe Kita is seriously lacking in the friend department.

Tamiko told her that Kita did had friends, but she can guess most of them died during the attack at the orphanage and October 10th, because in the month since she woke up in this world, not one single person has come and visit her.

And she has tried to form new friendship but so far, all her efforts in trying to engage with people her age have failed. They respond with nothing more than polite conversation and a brief _"Excuse me, I have other things to attend,"_, but Kita can feel the disapproving glances sometimes people give her from afar. Probably because Wanatabe Kita had gotten pregnant while being single.

But! Wanatabe Kita's memories indicated that Kushina was a dear friend of hers and that just like old Kita, Kushina had been pregnant. Maybe she's out there? Maybe Tamiko knows her address? Mmmm, she'll have to investigate it.

Another consistent knock on the door distracts her from her thoughts. It must be her neighbor looking for her cat again. She puts on some clothes and her robe. She takes out all the towel she put on the space between the door and the floor (in her failed attempt to keep out the cold air from getting in her room) and heads to the entrance.

"Mrs. Tokugawa, please come in," She says while opening the door and rubbing her tired eyes. After having the talk to the Hokage and being escorted to her home, Kita had an anxiety attack back home, which triggered her OCD rather badly, and ended with her cleaning the house until she passed out on the bed from exhaustion.

And she's still tired. So tired. She lets out a yawn and points at the shiny sofa, for the granny to come in as she looks for the goddamn cat. God, she's so tired. But Tokugawa Rei surely must have been looking all night for her cat, a tiny cute thing, for her to knock on her door. And Rei and Tamiko are very good friends, so Rei is always welcome here.

"Please come in while I look for Shiro," She says, as she stretches and cracks her neck to the side. "I'm sure we'll find your furry friend in no time,"

"It won't be needed Wanatabe-san," a male voice (that's clearly not granny Rei), says from the entry, making Kita freeze. Like, legit freeze with muscle contraction and everything. Eventually, she turns around, and instead of old granny Rei, there are two shinobi outside her door.

_Two_

Suddenly, she feels more self-conscious about wearing the robe full of spirals. Apparently, Wanatabe Kita liked those very much. Luckily enough, the other interprets it as a cue to introduce themselves and state what the hell are they are doing here.

"Maa maa, we come to fix your house Wanatabe-san," The Captain states, but unlike the other ninja she has seen, he doesn't even reach her shoulders. He's tiny. A boy who could be no older than fourteen years old, with white hair and the forehead protector hiding one of his eyes. He's wearing a green vest alongside the other shinobi, who doesn't look older than twelve.

"Oh," Kita says and blinks when she realizes that most of the ninja here are younger than her. Six years minimum. "Then come on, in…?"

"We're waiting for the last one," The captain informs. He looks ridiculous, looking so serious with his oversized green vest. Kita decides to name him Captain Serious. It faintly reminds her of Girl Scouts. Except that this is the deadly teenager version she shouldn't mess around.

So, Kita says nothing and waits for the rest of the ninja _scout _to finish, except that out of nowhere she feels a faint tingling in her hands. She wants to ask what's going on, but the ground is shaking and soon enough she sees a tiny spot of green running at full speed towards them.

She takes a step back and watches how the green spot is no other than a _teen_, dressed in _green spandex_.

"_YOUTH!"_ He yells, so loud, that Kita automatically winces from the sheer volume and wonders how the hell the people from this village haven't had their eardrum ruptured with this type of noise.

The other part of her, watches dumbfounds the whole attire. It faintly brings her memories from her mum, who fervently worked-out with her 80s spandex.

The most terrifying experience she had to endure in its purest form.

"The power of youth has blessed us this morning with following the lotus petals that will sharp our way into glory," He said, fisting the air. Kita blinks, and swallows the need to ask where the heck are their parents. Or if this teen hit his head. Or if she should call for a medic. "With following the youthful path-"

"What my fellow comrade tried to say," the captain says while casually punching the other in the stomach, _hard_. The other clutches his stomach, as Captain Serious continues, "Is that we'll be in charge of renovating your house,"

_Oh,_ is what Kita can say while looking preoccupied at the '80s spandex guy wheezing out something she can't exactly hear.

A thing about…dearest _rivals?_

"Now," The other ninja says, which Kita secretly names him Scary-looking Shinobi because for being so young he sure has a terrifying expression. It isn't the face, it's the eyes. They look..._lifeless_.

Anyways, Scary-looking Shinobi hands her what appears to be a magazine, and gently ushers her out of her _own_ house. Kita wants to voice out her frustration but then she glances at the magazine they gave her and spends the next twenty minutes looking at it, as the other inspects her house.

It's a house magazine, like the one real estate give to any potential buyer. It has options that range from the number of bedrooms she wants, the number of bathrooms, the meters included and there's an option whether she wants a terrace or not. It makes her feel like an important person. Except she's not, because she can barely afford the ramen packages.

At _all._

Kita glances up and wants to ask what the hell did they gave her this when Captain Serious interrupts her. "Please pick a style that you like while we-"

And as if on cue, part of the second-floor crashes down on the living. At least, none of the shinobi have the decency to say anything.

* * *

Shinobi are efficient. Unlike all the other constructor workers she saw in her other world, shinobi don't take breaks. They work in silence and they communicate with hand signs. Like for example, Captain Serious who after introducing their business, hasn't talked to her again.

Not that she minds, since somehow having to address someone so formal when they're a decade younger than her makes her feel weird. In fact, the only reason why Kita knows they are even here, are because they're packing everything into boxes.

Kita's helping too, putting all of her and Tamiko's private belongings into cardboard boxes while Captain Serious is boxing Tamiko's scrolls (that for some strange they're endless) and 80s spandex guy is boxing the stuff from the second floor.

As to where the serious guy is, Kita would probably say the basement. She helps them put all of her and Tamiko's belongings into neat looking boxes. The shinobi said they needed each room unoccupied for a reason that Kita didn't quite understand, but she humored them, and now in less than seventeen cardboard boxes are all their belongings.

It's almost midday when Kita's body decides it needs a break too. She huffs and swipes all the sweat from her forehead, before taking a shower. Her small black shirt is wet with milk _again_, but since the color is so dark Kita prays that all the other shinobi hadn't noticed.

In the end, she chooses a cotton-like garment. It's not a dress, but it's long and it has a T-shaped form and it's _huge, _like all the other stuff Kita has. It has so many parts. The collar is set back slightly into the nape and the sleeves are only attached at the shoulder.

It feels as if she's playing Rubik's Cube, trying to figure out how the hell one wears it.

Normally Kita wouldn't bother with this and go with the simple white blouse and skirts the other Kita has, but yesterday her black dress made such an impact that a granny took her aside and scolded her for not having modesty.

Not only that but a seller ignored her when she wanted to buy groceries and one of the nurses when she went to visit Tamiko gave her a nasty look. So, she learned her lesson, and now there she is, doing a favor to all poor grannies who saw her knees and shaved legs in the middle of winter.

And her body isn't tingling, which exclusively reserved for the times where she is fucking up bad, so she's willing to pull it off. Now, she has come to associate the tingling with how bad Kita messes up. Trust her, she has fucked up _bad_.

Like the time she got confused and mistook the suffix chan for san, and addressed the policeman as policeman-chan or how about the time where she blew her nose while walking in the street, even the time-

Kita shudders, remembering how a granny gave her a nasty look while ushering her granddaughters away from her. The point is, that Kita is one hot mess with the culture here. She just wants to live without fear of awakening the ire of grannies because they're _scary_ and they have threatened her to tell Tamiko about her poor manners, because apparently, Tamiko's is well-known here.

It's only when she finishes that she eyes her reflection, and it takes a lot for her to not punch the mirror. Kita takes a deep breath and counts to ten. It isn't the garment which gives her the trouble, the fabric is quite cute indeed, but...

It's Wanatabe Kita's body.

She wonders if this is what body dysmorphia feels like because there isn't a moment in which Kita can't stop thinking about the deep stretch and uneven marks on her stomach. The more rational part of her tries to inform her that each body is pretty and beautiful, but Kita feels..._hideous_ with so many _imperfections_.

In her other world, Kita was skinny enough that the topic of stretch marks never passed through her mind, but now? Having to touch the uneven skin or the reddish/ purple lesions in her breasts, thighs, hips, buttocks and her _stomach_? It's making her go crazy.

There are so many things that aren't symmetrical and a single thing that isn't what made her so _Kita, _and now she must fend with whatever Wanatabe Kita has. A knock on the bathroom door brings her back from the self-pity session.

The shinobi are informing her she must leave the house, so she goes out. Loosening the garment so it doesn't show her love handles and Kita's post-losing-the-baby body, and goes out to help, and helping them take out the gigantic collection of scrolls in Tamiko's room.

Kita doesn't know how the hell Tamiko could put so many scrolls there, when her room is so small. She never saw a single scroll lying around in her room either. Must be a granny secret. She bribes the 80s spandex guy with curry to watch her stuff and Tamiko's before going to the hospital since she wants to visit the elderly woman. Hopefully, Tamiko will be aware. And if she's lucky she'll smuggle in some food.

Turns out that what she's wearing is called a _Kimono_ and Tamiko is very pleased with her clothes attire. Hell, even the granny from the street, the one that always scolds her, gave her an approving glance. So Kita concludes that Kimono are granny friendly. Tamiko spends the rest of her visit congratulating her for looking so _handsome_ (she blushes at that) and fixing her large and usually colorful ribbon, indirectly showing more her love handles.

_Obi_.

But Tamiko is smiling at her with so much pride in her eyes that Kita stops thinking about her love handles at all. The rest of the visit is enduring Tamiko asking if she's taking care of herself; how many hours she has slept, if she has eaten well, how many cups of water she's drinking, and a bunch of personal questions that grannies usually ask their granddaughters.

It ends up with Kita blushing and stuttering a scandalized _"Obaa-san!" _when Tamiko asks her if she's cleaning both sides of her underwear as well.

Tamiko simply laughs and kisses her on the cheek, saying that his father would be proud. Something like guilt stabs her because she isn't Kita and she's simple borrowing her body, so to stop thinking about it, Kita starts talking about all the mundane things she has endured so far as Tamiko's holds her hands.

Kita doesn't tell her about their near financial bankruptcy or how the meeting with the Hokage went. She doesn't tell her how she's got trapped into the Hokage's machination by opening her big fat mouth at the expense of a house renovation. She doesn't tell her about her fear of failing or not meeting the Hokage's expectation and be killed, or even the fear of having to raise a child when she's got no experience except teaching them how to read. She doesn't even tell her about Kushina.

Kita tells her instead, the many different types of dogs she saw at the market the other day. Kita tells her how Yamanaka Hana has a new section of flowers, how the Senju park has a new tree Tamiko needs to visit and that shinobi dress up very weird.

Kita tells her every possible thing that passes through her mind until Tamiko ends up falling asleep, and the nurse gently shoos her away. And all the joy that comes after visiting her and the heartwarming news that Tamiko's health is improving goes to hell, the moment she enters the civilian district and finds that her _house_ got demolished.

Because her house had been in such a bad state, that Captain Serious decided to _blow it up_ without asking her first.

All her hard work is _gone. _Even the floor in which she _bled_ (okay it was a minor wound when she accidentally hammered her hand, but the point remains) trying to fix it is gone too_._ She stands there, not knowing how to even voice her complain but what finally hits the nail on the head is when '80s spandex guy challenges Captain Serious on who takes most rubble.

That's when Kita gets angry. So angry, that even scary-looking shinobi can't stop her when she barges in the remains of the house's foundations, to avenge her house. She doesn't notice how strands of her hair start floating around her head or how she's screaming with a verbal tick at the end of each sentence. Kita's so angry that she has a _broom_ in hand, and she's not afraid to use it.

Captain Serious will have to give her a good explanation for this or she's willing to drag his ass back to the Hokage right now.

Home renovation her _ass_.

_(It takes fifteen minutes to change Kita's mind, when scary-looking shinobi gets scared at her outburst and decides to build a house with magic, from scratch)_

* * *

Kita has a new house and honestly? She's living for every second of it.

It isn't as modern as the small cottage house she used to live in, it still has a deep Japanese feeling to it, but the floors _don't creak anymore_. She can even step on the second floor without worrying she'll fall to her death anytime soon.

And the best part of it? Is that it has the framework of the roof, a decent roof pitch, and _oh boy,_ don't even get her started on the gable roof. Scary-looking shinobi did a good job. The sheathing, the framing and the underlying installation are _wonderful._

Kita wants to ask scary-looking shinobi what type of magic can invoke such thing, because for the first time ever since winter came, Kita doesn't have to wrap ever herself into every piece of clothing she has to not freeze to death. She doesn't have to put on the three heaters she bought last month or cover the space between the door and floor with towels.

It doesn't even matter that she has no windows installed or that her bedroom doesn't even have a door attached, because the house is so warm and she's not cold anymore and _holy shit what kind of wood does this anyways._

Kita glances at the window frame covered in wood and falls asleep in her futon, surrounded by cardboard boxes and thinking about how exactly she's going assemble all her stuff.

'80s spandex guy wakes her up with youthful cries of good morning and a bunch of lotus metaphors Kita doesn't quite understand, so she makes him tea and breakfast. He's a teen, after all. And there's nothing that having a good breakfast to brighten up a day full of work ahead.

That's how he learns that '80s spandex guy has a name and it's Might Guy. And that from now on, he'll oversee making the final touches to the house, since Captain Serious and scary-looking shinobi must do other super important missions. Not that Kita minds, because out of all three, Might Guy be the most normal.

And he talks, unlike the others, so Kita doesn't have to bore herself with working in silence.

Trust her, Might Guy talk a _lot_. That's how she learns more about the shinobi mission and the different type of affinities one can have, as she helps him build glue a translucent paper made of wood fibers into the small wood frames. Those will be used as curtains on windows and then she helps him building sliding doors that are covered by thick and opaque paper (_fusuma)_.

It's also there where Kita learns a curious fact on glass windows, and how it was recently introduced to the village and incorporated into their houses. All thanks to a peace treaty with another village called Iwagakure no Sato, after the Second Shinobi World War.

It ends up being a very interesting piece of history until Might Guy ends up saying Konoha ended up winning because their _will of fire_ runs _deep_ into their _blood_, and Konoha's shinobi are the _best, _and Kita loses immediate interest, letting Guy-San work alone in peace.

As Guy-san covers the wooden walls with lining wallpaper, Kita focus on installing the white kitchen tiles and half of her hair ends up with wall adhesive and grout. She's not complaining, she loves that the kitchens open to a living room. It gives Kita many western feelings, that she misses so much. She's can admit she's homesick. Just as she's close to finally start assembling the kitchen furniture she receives multiples scrolls from Guy-san.

It's related to the Child™️ that she's going to take care of.

The first one is a very detailed contract of services. It's kind of nerve-wracking, having to read that. Absolutely downright terrifying. It feels as if she just signed a deal with the mafia, because she's pretty sure most of the clauses violate the Labor legislation laws back from her country.

There's no stipulated number of hours she's supposed to work per week. No probationary period clause. She won't get overpaid for additional hours. She won't have vacation time. There's an outside activities clause, which means that any other work must receive approval from the Hokage first. And a very detailed penalty clause that makes her hand start trembling.

It's also there when she gets informs that starting tomorrow, there won't be a minute in which she won't be guarded and watched. There will be a squad of ANBU protecting him and the child 24/7, who will regularly report to the Hokage about her abilities in taking care of the child, so _bye-bye privacy_. Why did she ever agree to this?

Oh right, because the Hokage _gave her no choice_.

The second scroll is a nondisclosure agreement, detailing she should not under any circumstances give any piece of information to the public regarding the child, Uzumaki Naruto (it feels weird reading it because for some reason her body began tingling. Could this child be related to Kushina?) until the Hokage gives her approval.

There's even a fabricated backstory she must follow in case anyone asks her. She will have to go with the excuse that she fell in love with the child and wanted to take care of him out of _love_ and _devotion_ for the village and all that sappy stuff Kita doesn't have the patience for.

The only good thing about this contract is that she won't ever have to worry about a lack of funds. It's stated there that the child, Kita and any of her immediate family (Tamiko) will have free access to health, a.k.a no more hospital bills. She'll be given some sort of subsidy from the village to pay the electricity and water bills and a certain amount of money for food groceries, apart from the monthly pay she'll get.

If for some A, B or C reason Kita can't afford something that is related to the child's wellbeing, she can send a request that will be seen by the Hokage. And finally, a third scroll, one detailing all the obligations she must do to care for the child. Stability, emotional support, love, structure. Proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, and having to send a monthly report on the child's development and yep, Kita did a very good job of signing a pact with the _devil_.

By the end of it, she's feeling conflicted about the whole ordeal. It seems as if Kita was entrusted to take care of one of someone very important. Well, the child _must_ be important, for the Hokage to go through such drastic measures.

Maybe it's one of the Hokage's sons? She clicks her tongue. Not it can't be, right? The Hokage is around Tamiko's age, and this village is traditionalist on that aspect. In the end, she concludes that it _doesn't _even _matter_.

She places all the scrolls in her bedroom and goes out to buy some stuff for the child, knowing that sometimes it's better to rip off the Band-Aid straight away. If she's going to live with a kid until she finds her way back home, might as well buy cute looking furniture, toys or whatever kid needs these days to gain the child's good side.

* * *

Kita finds about Uzumaki Kushina, the next day. When she's doing Tamiko's weekly errand that consists of visiting the village cemetery and honoring her late family. The cemetery is located near the outskirts, and there's a big sculpture at the front, that's supposed to represent the _"Will of Fire"_, and a kanji for Hokage inscribed on the base.

Before she got admitted into the hospital, Tamiko never forced her to accompany her. Tamiko's family headstone is in cemetery, but before she can go there, she first must honor all Tamiko's family who gave their lives to the village, in the _memorial stone. _Now, she's trying to distinguish where are the few Wanatabe honored in the memorial stone. There are only twenty-three and for some reason, the name _Wanatabe Haru_ reminds her of torn up pants.

And amongst the hundreds of fallen members that are honored, Kita finds Kushina's.

The plaque only holds her name. Kita spends the rest of the evening wondering how Kushina looked like or what was her favorite type of food, and if Kushina and Kita were very close friends until she eventually leaves to honor the Wanatabe headstone before it gets too dark.

Not before leaving another an extra white lily in the memorial stone for Wanatabe Kita's late friend.

* * *

Doomsday arrives the morning she feels someone calling her name. She doesn't have a front wooden door (ever since Guy-san replaced with a shoji door) so that means Kita can't peek through a peephole anymore.

Kita misses the peephole.

Guy-san reassures her that once he finishes doing the final touches (today), she'll get a fence and a gate to make the property safer and a few trees _(so the ANBU can have an easier time hiding_ goes unsaid, but Kita can tell_)._

So, Kita goes and…well, it all snowballs from there. Kita wonders if this one big whole misunderstanding or if the amount of paperwork messed the Hokage in the head, or its the universe mocking her again.

She's going for the latter.

"That is not a child," Kita said watching the small thing, wriggling in the shinobi's arms. She blinks, just so she can verify this is something real and not part of the imagination. But it's _not_. If what her eyes are seeing, the so-called child the Hokage had talked about, is a small thing that's swaddled into a dirty blanket that's making her OCD go "_clean it, clean it, clean it"._

She narrows her eyes.

"The child, Wanatabe-san," the _shinobi _says offering the baby into her arms, but Kita is having none of that. The Hokage said it was a child.

"This is clearly not a child," Kita says, crossing her arms and standing her ground. _This must be a joke or something_. She had gotten mentally prepared to deal with a kid. Kita even decorated a room for the _child_ and put the only western bed she could find and filled it appropriate childlike toys.

So, this?

"Lord fire shadow said it was a child."

"This is the child," The ninja insist but Kita will have none of that. And faintly thinks if this is how people feel after being scammed.

"No, it's not," She points at the baby, in case the shinobi hasn't noticed yet, who's too quiet and still and with his blue eyes barely open. _There's something wrong there_, for a baby to stay so quiet. "This is a _baby."_

"This is Naruto, Wanatabe-san. The Hokage personally ordered me to hand him out to you," The shinobi insists. Just like the other shinobi he has seen in the past week, he's young too. Like Captain Serious, except this one has brown shoulder-length hair which hangs about his face and brown eyes.

And playing with a _needle_ on his mouth on top of everything.

"Unless you don't want him anymore…?" Shinobi asks uncertain, and Kita must give him points for the acting. _Emotional manipulation at its finest. _Because she sure knows the other shinobi knows Kita can't exactly reject the small human _thing_.

"_Fine,_" Kita spats, hating whatever deity decided to put her here in the first place. Hates herself, the village, the Hokage, every possible thing that made her end up in this stupid world.

"I'll take the _child_," Kita growls with as much hate she can to the Shinobi, who backs away unsure. There are too many things she wanted to get done today. New countertops, vases, food, cleaning supplies (_bleach_, very important) and all the other things Captain Serious destroyed.

And a baby on top of everything? This is clearly, not her day _at all_. It's only when she goes out to grab it that's she notices three things. One, that the baby isn't moving. Two, that the baby is silent. And three? Is that he smells like a waste.

_As if he's dead-_

"Is he dead?" She asks horrified and wants to shake the shinobi. What did the shinobi do to make the _baby stop moving? _The first day on the job and she already failed? Could this even be considered failing? If the baby isn't moving? Oh _gosh_, what if _it is_. She could already see how the rest would play; the Hokage would consider it treason, and _oh my god-_

"Is the baby_ dead?_" She wasted no time in shaking him, because her life is on the line."Did you kill him? What did you do to him!?

* * *

Kita can admit she doesn't have one (1) single idea on how to take care of a baby. Not a single fucking clue. All her limited knowledge comes from YouTube videos she watched whenever she was sad. Children, in comparison, are easy. Just bribe them with food and toys and they'll follow your commands.

But babies? Small tiny human beings, who are entirely dependent on others taking care of them? Or else they will die? How the hell, how do you even, where exactly does one start-

"Oh my god, oh my god, _ohmygod, ohmygod,"_ She chants while carrying the _thing_ in her arm. Is she panicking? She's maybe-okay maybe _she is _panicking because this was not the plan at all. All her mental preparation of introducing herself to the child and gaining his trust and good side are gone the moments she learns that the child was never a child in the first place but more of, you know, a baby.

A goddamn _baby._

As Guy-san works fervently putting the last roof tiles (because he's very fast for some reason), Kita flails with the baby in her arms and while trying not to gag, thinking whether she should start making her funeral arrangements now or later.

Because she's going to fuck it up. Kita knows. It's like, the sky is blue, the leaves are green, and Kita sucks at taking care of babies.

"Oh my god, oh my god, _ohmygod, ohmygod,"_ She chants some more, while frenetically thinking how she should approach this. She's not mentally prepared for this. Oh _god _she's not prepared to deal with this.

One trip to the bathroom makes her discover that the baby is not dead, but he simply fell asleep in his own filth. The relieved sighs that escape from her mouth is rather dramatic, but for the life scare she just got, she's willing to ignore it. It's only when she tries to open the diaper, that she gags from the smell alone.

She eyes him and must cover with her other hand her mouth to avoid gagging some more. Oh god, he smells so bad. Kita wonders how the hell this baby is even alive. She has no clue what she's doing, but even if you take out her limited experience, it's common knowledge that babies aren't meant to be dirty nor should their diaper be glued to the skin.

In Naruto's case (if she remembers it correctly), it's like his diaper and his skin fused into one. There's ink on his forehead, and what worries her the most is that he's cold to the touch. Getting the baby out of the diaper feels almost as she's performing surgery, like the medical shows she binge-watched in her other world.

It takes half an hour, having the nuclear diaper come off, but it makes her feel _victorious_.

Kita almost yells victory when she finally frees him from the diaper. She gloats on the moment and carries the diaper like a well-deserved trophy after a hunt. Kita even takes pleasure in throwing the nuclear diaper into the trash, before marching to clean him.

Because Kita _will_ clean him, even if she _dies _trying.

That's how after forty minutes of an intense bath, she finds out that the baby hair is blond and not brown, as she had previously thought. There's a massive and painful-looking rash on the baby's _down there_, so maybe they should go to the doctor tomorrow morning.

And buy everything a baby needs because apparently, the Hokage failed to inform it was a _baby_ and not a _child_. But at least the baby is clean, with a new diaper, and smelling like a _**baby**_. So yeah, an improvement. The clothes in the bag are too small for him, so she throws that at all. In fact, Kita throws _everything _the shinobi gave her because they _suck_ and they're dirty and it's probably her OCD again.

Except for the diapers, the milk formula, and the bottle, for obvious reasons.

"For the child," she whispers, taking every single piece of horrible tiny clothing to the trash. In fact, there's one that needed to be thrown out away a long time ago, by the massive brown stains on the two sizes smaller onesie.

Then, she spends twenty minutes figuring out exactly does one feed a baby, but Naruto has his priorities straight and wastes no time in drinking from the bottle, even if the angle is probably weird. Then, he starts weird noises with his mouth and he's kicking his leg _very weird_. He burps when Kita carries him. Soon Kita declares its bedtime even if it's barely 9 pm. She's tired. Only to halt midway when she remembers the bed in the guest room isn't exactly baby-proofed.

"Child my ass," She mutters under her breath, and taking a 180-degree turn, heading straight to her bedroom. It's barely 8 pm, and she's already tired.

"Guess we'll have to share," She declares, taking out all the pillows she has and making a pillow wall for the baby. But it takes a while for it to be done because each corner of the pillow _needs_ to be perfect and symmetrical. Except that all her hard work is instantly gone the second she puts the baby down. Her eyes start twitching when the baby destroys each corner.

"So, on top of being a baby, you wriggle, uh?" Judging by the small kicks, Kita can guess he does. Two hours later, she's awakened by a crying baby begging to be fed, making that the start of Kita's living nightmare.

* * *

The seal had pulsated into palpating waves all day, meaning that a meeting would take place at midnight. She knew the rituals; she knew them by heart. It was why when she reached and saw the crumbling walls that were nothing more than a ghostly silhouette, that dread began to form inside her.

It used to be a temple given as a token of gratitude from the first Hokage to their long distant relative for all the contributions they did to the village. Yet now it doesn't look more than an abandoned house that should have been demolished a long time ago. There's tall weeds growing between the stones and the fence has already fallen.

And unlike all the other times she has gone, there are no guards at the entrance. The message is loud and clear: the master is waiting for her. It doesn't take long for her to reach the underground layer.

He's there.

"You know why I called you?" Master speaks, once she sits in front of him. She fists her hands, with her eyes low on the ground. He knows what she did. The seals keep burning her tongue, but she doesn't say anything to make master angrier.

"I'm not angry at you Crow," Master's voice, soft and deadly, came out of the darkness. Ever since they found another donor, Master has been having a hard time adjusting to the transplant, and he's now sensitive to the light. He cups her jaw in his broad hand, his penetrating gaze inspecting her face before coming to rest on her eyes.

"I want you to explain to me why you thought giving back all the scrolls we work so hard to get to, was a good idea," He's touching her hair, the one she worked so hard to grow out, after Master decided to burn half of her face for failing to kill Lord Third. "And to Wanatabe Kita, no less."

So someone saw her putting the storage seal containing Uzumaki Mito's Fūinjutsu collection into Wanatabe-san bag.

_Fuck._

"Anything you might want to add?" He felt her shiver and then watched defiance flash in her eyes. The same defiance that after two decades worth of repeated conditioning resurfaced from time to time since Shimura Danzō hadn't managed to break her will.

"I'm honoring Uzumaki Mito-sama last order, masters," her jaw clenches when the seal under her tongue burns more. Pain, so much pain around her mouth, but even with that, she wants to finish her thoughts before she gets killed.

She wants to yell to the whole world that she doesn't regret going behind the master's back. It feels sweet knowing that Danzo won't ever get to touch them. Now, he won't ever get to learn all the dangerous space-time jutsu the Uzumaki Clan was so feared.

And there was one specific, Danzo had been trying hard to decipher. A technique that could grant the possibility to travel through dimensions, and possibly into different worlds. It was knowing that, what prompted her to give the collection back. Now Lord Third knows about it, and it will be constantly monitored by the Hokage's loyal guard, since Wanatabe will be taking care of the container.

Danzo won't ever touch it again.

_Konoha will be safe._

"Uzumaki Mito's last wish was giving her entire collection to the Wanatabe family in case something happened to her last heir, Uzumaki Kushina, so they- "

"You f_oolish child!_" Master kicks her in the stomach. "Do you have any idea what this means to our plan? This is how you pay me? After all the years I took you in and train you? With betrayal?"

She spits out on the ground and grins. "_Fuck you," _she whispers, and takes pleasure when master finally loses composure. She will never forgive him for kidnapping her when she was just a child, and for turning her into a monster.

"Take her to the third-floor underground," Master hisses in her ears. "Something that I should have done a long time ago."

Her eyes widen with fear.

"No," She murmured as two men take her by the arms. Flashback of the conditioning she endured comes to her mind and she panics. "No, no, no, NO, _NO!"_

"Change of plans," He says once they take Crow out of the room. They can faintly hear her screams, echoing through the walls. "From now on, we'll focus on the Uchiha."

Then he adds.

"We're going to take Sarutobi down, one way or the other."


	5. Chapter 5

**You guys have been so wonderful towards this story that I decided I wanted to spoil you with an extra chapter, and also because I wanted to celebrate! According to my stats, this story has more than 100 follows! Wohooo!**

**And many thanks to 100pureawesomeness for beta reading!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

If there is one thing Kita has learned about Naruto, is that Naruto is a chatty baby. She discovers it the morning after receiving him, as she prepares him a bottle. He's not like other babies, who struggle to wake up or even the ones that like to sleep.

This one likes to wake up at the crack of dawn and yell to the seven seas that he wants to talk. That's how Kita wakes up, with Naruto gurgling at her. Now Naruto is deeply focused on giving her his fifteen-minute cooing monologue.

She humors him, of course.

"And did you have a good sleep, Naruto?" She asks and tries to not chuckle when she sees the short pudgy arms flailing in response. He's wearing the same onesie from yesterday. Luckily, Kita will buy him more clothes. She saw a store the other day, that sells cute stuff.

Maybe that will motivate her more in this "caring-for-a-baby" kind of thing.

Anyways, this morning Naruto's being more active than yesterday. Giving Kita the impression that all he needed was a good night's sleep and a bath. And clean diapers, because oh was that diaper disgusting. Kita still asks herself how the hell this baby didn't get an infection from the gigantic rash down there.

Or _die_.

She places her hand on her hips and continues to converse with him, setting down the bottle on the table. She's using the milk formula the ninja gave her. Even if she knows the baby won't understand anything to what she's saying, she keeps talking to him. And, because Kita wants to see one more time the baby's comical expression. Naruto is very expressive.

Plus, Kita likes the way he blinks when she bops his cutesy nose.

"I see," She says attaching the improvised towel she's using as a bib to the baby's neck. She'll need to get a more appropriate chair. A crib, a chair, and many more things, after lord Fire Shadow, failed to inform Naruto's age. Kita thinks he's maybe two months old. _Two and a half months…? _

Either way, for a baby Naruto is tiny. Unlike all the chubby babies she has seen in her life, this one looks rather thin. His wrists are thin, and his tummy is not chubby as the ones she saw in the marketplace. He also has a lot less hair than the other ones.

_Doctor, _Kita thinks while yawning and preparing the strongest green tea she can brew. It's the only thing to come to her mind to battle against the four hours of sleep she got this night. Since...Naruto likes food and he doesn't mind screaming until Kita goes to feed him.

So, the question is: why is so skinny? Naruto is a pretty vocal baby. Giving Kita the impression that whoever took care of him had to be deaf to not notice that the screaming was because Naruto wanted to eat.

Yet, she thinks there's something wrong with the milk because each time she feeds him he scrunches his face with displeasure.

Could it be the brand? Kita thinks when Naruto drinks from the bottle. But with so many thoughts plaguing her mind, she files it away. She focuses more on inspecting the three symmetrical scars on each side of his face since she didn't have the chance to look at them before. The more she looks at them, the more they look like whiskers than scars, to be honest. How could the baby have gotten those scars? Could it be because of the attack at the orphanage?

Kita doesn't have a single clue. That's the conclusion she reaches as the milk dribbles out of the baby's mouth. His eyes lock into hers.

"You're adorable," Kita says, wiping the milk off his face. Two seconds later, Naruto barfs all over Kita's cleaned clothes.

"I changed my mind," She says looking at her clothes now with vomited milk and hating Lord Fire Shadow for putting her with a baby of all things. "I want a refund."

The baby responds with a burp and Kita groans.

Half an hour later, she notices something is wrong with Naruto.

* * *

Naruto whimpers against her chest, as Kita hurries walking through the busy streets. On any normal day, she would have taken her sweet time in getting ready. This time she's wearing one of the few western outfits Kita has. It's baggier and looks horrible on her, but considering what she has discovered this morning, it doesn't matter. Now, what exactly could have prompted this?

The _stupid _milk they gave her was _fucking _expired.

It was after the baby vomited again and started whimpering in pain that she went to check the milk powder and discovered it was three months expired. Not only that but the bottom of the container was covered in _something green_. How exactly is she supposed to care for this baby, when everything in this world is against her?

So yeah, her patience is rather thin today. Kita doesn't have a single clue on how to parent, but whoever took care of him before, should be behind bars. The amount of incompetence is astonishing. The stains, the dirtiness, the filthy clothes, the diapers, and expired milk?

That's clearly _child abuse_.

She's carrying the bag Tamiko gave her, with a notebook and a pen because you know what? Kita's going to take some motherfucking notes on the subject. There are too many things she doesn't know, too many knowledge gaps with this caring-baby-thing that needs to be answered.

So, there she is; sleep-deprived, exhausted, and with a baby who's whimpering on her arms. But even what, she's hopeful. If Stephen King's draft of Carrie got rejected 30 times and he still got published, Kita can take care of Naruto. Kita can do this. Kita's got this.

So, buckle up Konoha Hospital, Kita's going to get some shit done.

One trip to the doctor later and Kita now knows that Naruto's a two and a half month baby, underweight, with infantile colic and a severe case of diaper rash. Her small notebook is full of tips; sleep and food schedule, how to make him sleep, when should she know Naruto is trying to do number two, and _HOW MANY DIAPERS SHOULD SHE CARRY-_

But even with all the information and tips, she's still annoyed at the doctor. He didn't want to touch the baby. It was only her insistent remarks on the baby-soft whimpers and subtle threats on wanting to talk to his superiors, that he began inspecting him.

He didn't do the glowing healing hand that Kita saw Tamiko doing or even applied medicine to the baby's bum. He merely inspected Naruto with distaste and said what type of salve she needed to buy. Not only that, but he also began to get annoyed by her multiple questions. By the end of the visit, Kita ended up fuming at the doctor's clinical detachment, so the next time Naruto needs medical attention, she's going with another one.

Now she has a sleepy baby on her arms and with one goal in mind and its buying Naruto some stuff. She saw a store the other day, as she walked to the Hospital, that had a blue-painted crib on display and a bunch of clothes. The crib Kita had got destroyed with the house demolition. Hopefully, by the end of the day, Kita can have one.

It's not that she's not willing to share her futon. It's more of wanting to sleep without the fear of accidentally squishing the baby.

* * *

Kita doesn't get to buy anything without getting kicked out of the store. Not even offering to pay double, managed to convince the owners who wasted no time in ushering out and yelling her to _never come back_. A humiliating act that brought her near tears when none of the people buying stuff there defended her. They merely avoided her gaze and kept buying.

She gets kicked out of the second one. She wipes the tears with her sleeve and marches to another store, not understanding what could have prompted the owners to behave this way. Was it the clothes? Oh god, she knew she should have gone with the Kimono, maybe these clothes are insulting too-

The third, fourth and fifth end up in similar experiences. With every store she goes, her hopes in buying onesies diminishes. The ones that don't kick her out, don't let her buy anything. _"It the last in-store, we ran out of it right now" _and every possible excuse until eventually she's left with no more shops.

"I'm so sorry Naruto," Kita whispers, feeling defeated. In her bag is the coin purse that was supposed to be emptied with all the baby-related purchases, but it's still full. Her hands are trembling, and her eyes are wet. She spends the rest of her walk with her head ducked down in shame.

She returns to her house empty-handed with no onesies, no diapers, no crib, and no milk formula. Whenever the memory of the owners screaming profanities at her comes to her mind, she hugs the baby who's making gurgling noises at her. It almost as the baby wants to say _look at me, look at me, don't be sad! _but Kita knows it's only her imagination trying to distract her from breaking into more tears.

Since the baby is so underweight, Kita has no alternative than to breastfeed him that night, hating more than ever this world.

* * *

Kita glances at the tired baby dozing off in her bed and closes her eyes. She'd entertained him all morning and even put him down on his stomach, so he could do all those baby exercises Kita the doctor told her. The same ones that strengthen the baby's neck and back muscles. Normally babies at that stage can lift a little the head off a floor but Naruto had a hard time lifting his.

So much, that he started fuzzing a little when twenty minutes had passed, and he was still in the same position. He only began to squirm when Kita briefly left his limited vision, so she doesn't think it wasn't a complete fail. She'll have to try again tomorrow.

Now he's snoring without a care in the world, in the pillow fort she made in her futon, so the baby won't roll off to his death. It's the closest thing she can get to a crib after she resigned herself with not getting to buy one. Yesterday she put the prettiest Kimono Kita had, in the hopes it would help, but in the end, it didn't make a difference.

Plus, Naruto had an accident due to the owner's frantic yells at her, so now Kita has a blue kimono stained in literal _shit. _The only good thing about it reassures Kita that Naruto's digestive system is working fine, so that's something.

Kita goes to the kitchen, to make herself some tea. Anything strong enough to keep her awake. It's not that the baby is being difficult, she knows there are worse babies. Her older sister's (before they kicked her out) had been _awful_. In comparison, Naruto is quite docile.

But babies require constant attention and care. Having to care for Naruto, knowing she's being constantly watched and that her life is on the line if she isn't good enough for the Hokage's standards is _exhausting_. Despite Naruto sleeping 15 to 16 hours a day, he needs to be woken up every three hours to be fed. And since he's underweighted, Kita can't miss it.

She has slept maybe less four hours...maximum each day? And after one week of taking care of Naruto, Kita is close to calling it quits. This caring baby thing is taking a big toll on her. She's so tired that she hasn't cleaned her house, at all.

Don't ever get her started on her OCD.

The living room, which was so impeccable is one big mess. So much that each time she glances at her living room, the anguish worsens because she desperately wants to clean it, but she has no energy left. Apart from feeding Naruto, Kita can barely remember to feed herself. The living room is now surrounded by cardboard boxes she has yet to unbox, and the few things she has managed to buy from the stores that don't kick her out.

Which remote to only three and there's only one that sells diapers, but it's very far from her house. It's a forty-five-minute trek from her house and after a week of taking care of Naruto, Kita dreads going out. Each time she gets out of her house with the baby in her arms people spit at her, usher their kids away from her, and whisper behind her back.

Even the granny, that used to scold her all the time, hasn't met her gaze the day she went with Naruto. When Kita decides to ask her why people were reacting so badly, she hissed _"don't touch me" _at her as if Kita had the bubonic plague.

It makes her wonder what could have prompted this drastic change of behavior.

Is it because she's taking care of a child that isn't her own? That she isn't married? Or that she's 25 and with a baby? Or is it the baby? Kita _doesn't _understand. She hasn't done anything wrong; she's just trying to live her life and care for the baby.

Kita brings her attention back to her cup of tea, thinking about what she should do with the few hours she's Naruto-free. Kita knows she should probably spend this time to clean her house, but the reality is that she can barely get out of bed due to the fatigue.

Now that Naruto knows Kita's not going anywhere soon, he just wants to be held 24/7. Kita's arms are so buff with so much baby holding, she's willing to bet she could win a wrestling match against a shinobi.

In the end, she doesn't finish her tea or cleans her house. She falls asleep right next to the baby once she accidentally makes the mistake of resting in the futon for a second. It's when she wakes up, two hours later as Naruto cries for food, that she realizes someone entered her house, assembled a crib next to her bed and cleaned her house.

And not only that, but there are also _baby stuff _and food.

"Thank you," She whispers so grateful at her savior, as Naruto dozes against her chest. "Thank you so much."

She spends the rest of the afternoon organizing the baby clothes in neat symmetrical piles until her OCD is once again under control. There's a onesie that even has a spiral that matches her robes, and that Naruto ends up liking very much.

* * *

Naruto is so… _clingy_.

Is that normal in two-month babies?

"Naruto I'm still here," She yells from the bathroom when the baby starts crying. It's the same ones he gives whenever he's alone for more than five minutes. Naruto doesn't like to be alone. Whenever he realizes Kita isn't there, he starts screaming as if he's being murdered.

Kita groans while hurrying up. She had the bathroom door open, so she could watch the baby while doing her business, but apparently, Naruto's brain still thinks she's gone and that she left him behind. Then there are more heartbreaking screaming, so much that Kita stops doing what she's doing and hurries back, to hold him.

Obviously, with clean and well-scrubbed hands because of _priorities_. The second Naruto sees her, he starts cooing at her, with a smile. Kita huffs and cradles him more, bringing him to the living room.

"You're one spoiled baby," She says to him, tickling him in the stomach and hearing the happy shrieks Naruto gives. She glances at the clock and realizes it's naptime.

The only reason she's doing it because she heard one of the moms talking in the market about it. In the only stand that sells stuff to her, even if it's at a higher price. Kita doesn't mind paying more if it means she doesn't have to walk one hour and a half to the other side of the village for buying some stupid fish and all the stuff that the newest doctor told her she should consume.

Fish, whole grains, eggs, legumes, and beans, vegetables, since Naruto heavily relies on her. The time she tried to feed him milk formula again, Naruto vomited all over her clothes, so breastfeeding it is.

As to the naptime, Kita has no shame in declaring she did eavesdrop on the conversation. Nothing wrong with that. But if the cool village moms can do it, then she's willing to try. Anything to have more than ten minutes of privacy. And hopefully, with the baby asleep, she'll be able to unpack the rest of Tamiko's belonging.

"_A dream is a wish your heart makes," _She sings to him softly. Out of all the songs, this one is his favorite so far. She rocks him until how Naruto rests his head against her chest. Kita sings until his eyes slowly start to close. Soon snores fill the whole room. She leans against the sofa, so Naruto can rest more comfortable. "_When you're fast asleep… _"

As Naruto sleeps in his crib, Kita finally finishes setting up Tamiko's room. Apart from the futon and the closet, the room is bare. All the massive number of scrolls Tamiko collected ends up in another room, since somehow Scary-looking shinobi ended up making too many rooms on the first floor.

She wipes the sweat off her face and goes to make the final touches, except...that just as she's leaving, something catches her eyes. It's a brush and ink in one of the boxes Tamiko has. It feels familiar. So, she goes and opens the box, and finds a book, with the exception that instead of pictures it's full of very detailed paintings.

The first one is Tamiko hugging a man who's carrying a younger Kita in his arms. They look happy. The man is wearing a similar type of robes Lord Fire Shadow wears, except they're blue. They're in some sort of ceremony, where Kita has braids with different types of shells in her hair.

She looks happy. The next page is Kita in Tamiko's arms. They're both smiling and Tamiko's hair is_ red._ She spends the rest of the evening looking pictures, thinking how Kita's childhood felt like.

* * *

It takes her six more hours for the naptime to backfire her, as everything she ever wants in this world.

"Naruto, please go to sleep," Kita wheezes, longing to sleep five more minutes and promising that she's never going to make Naruto have naptime, ever again. Because it's forty-five in the morning and Naruto is more active than ever. He's talking to her in that special way of "_ ooh" _and " _aah" _that babies do. He usually does this when Kita doesn't respond to his cooing and gurgling.

Now, whenever he starts talking to her, Kita replies back. Naruto likes to be talked to. She wonders what the ANBU thinks of her talking so serious with a two-month baby. But all that Kita wants is five more minutes of sleep. That's all she asks. Nothing more and nothing less. Sleep deprivation has come to stay. She's willing to let the baby talk until he tires himself and goes back to sleep, only to close her eyes and rest for a moment.

But then the baby starts whimpering, which means he did number two and he's uncomfortable, so there goes Kita to the rescue with a smelly baby in one hand and missing her futon so bad.

* * *

"Please stop," Kita begs to the baby who's been crying all morning. She doesn't know where all this crying comes from. His diaper is clean, it's been one hour since she fed him so he's not hangry, she even burped him.

Kita is totally lost on what could have caused this.

"Please Naruto, pretty please," Kita whispers, as she rocks him, but Naruto keeps crying. Not even rocking him is helping. "Why are you crying?"

Eventually, all the crying, screaming and sleep deprivation end up overwhelming her. Until Naruto scrunch up his face and blows out of his nose heavily. He sucks a big gulp of air and puts his concentration face.

His small body tenses.

"Naruto?" She asks him, now worried, when she realizes the baby isn't breathing. His small body is trembling, and with every second that passes his face ends up redder. That's when Kita loses her calm and ends up flailing with the baby again. Is the baby going to explode or something? Oh, shit what she's going to do, should she call for help or-

And then he starts _farting_.

"Oh my _god, _" Kita whispers horrified at the baby who's decided to delight her with a concert in F farting minor in crescendo. She's speechless at the performance. For being so small, the sounds he makes reminds her of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

"Who _hurt you Naruto."_

* * *

At first, Kita wants to treat Naruto like another job. She doesn't want to get attached to him, because it will only be an impediment to how she can get back to her world. But the truth is...that she can't deny she had gotten fond of Naruto.

She likes the way he snuggles against her chest. The way Naruto likes to cuddle and hear her voice. Or when he gives her sweet coos whenever she sings to him Disney songs, with her horrible off-key voice. When he sucks his tiny fist. Or the barely hints of a smile he gives when he's fed and clean.

Kita learns to differentiate Naruto's needs with his expression. She learns that his concentration face means he's pooping and that his wobbly lip means he wants to be held. She still hasn't gotten the hang of how to put a diaper on, but so far Naruto hasn't got a diaper rash.

There's nothing cute than to wake up with a baby next to her futon. Kita loves the way Naruto's stomach is now chubby and that his arms are now pudgy. Loves the way he sneezes or pays attention to her.

Kita still misses having the freedom that came before Naruto. She still gets anxiety thinking she's being constantly watched every single day. And there are days where she misses sleeping as long as she wanted to and doing whatever she wanted.

But Kita can at least admit...Naruto is one hell of a cute baby.

* * *

The beast sits and watches from his cage his newest jailor sleeping not too far from him. This is the third jailor he has, ever since he was trapped by the man who Kurama thought was related to his father. It's a mistake that cost him his freedom, and something that even to this day, Kurama regrets and mourns.

Not even using his power was enough to defeat the man. For the past sixty or more years, he has been caged against his will. Stripped of his powers and trapped with heavy chains all over his body. He can't move much without hurting himself. And all thanks to the greediness of mankind.

He hates it.

He absolutely hates every man and woman who lives on this earth. He hates them from snatching him from his freedom and separating him from his brothers and sisters. Ever since the seal got reinforced after the second jailor died, he has stopped sensing his brother's whereabouts at all.

His last jailor used to at least talk a lot, so Kurama could at least hear her voice and not bore himself to death. But after the last one died, the new one is nothing more than a pathetic baby. And because the human is too young to comprehend the link between them both, there's nothing the baby doesn't share with Kurama.

He knows it will take years before the younger's conscience develops and the seals grow stronger. So, until the child grows Kurama will be forced to hear and feel his pathetic thoughts of _cold, hungry, pain, poop, hungry, pain, cold, sad, sad, sad, poop, hungry, alone, sad. _

Kurama has felt every primitive feeling and thought the baby has had. There's nothing Kurama hasn't seen or heard so far, from the baby's perspective. Make no mistake, Kurama doesn't care about the baby. If it was for him, Kurama would have killed this baby a long time ago. He already killed in the past, and a baby makes no difference at all.

But since they're both trapped due to the seals, the baby's well being indirectly affects Kurama. Every mood the baby has, Kurama ends up feeling it too. Whenever he's sad, his cage gets gloomier and darker and Kurama can't see anything. Whenever the baby is in pain, Kurama can sense it.

It annoys him _endlessly._

The only reason why he has been sharing part of his chakra with his jailor is so that the baby doesn't die. There's a good reason for that. If the baby dies, Kurama will go with him and it will take thousands of years for him to respawn again. Yet, even with his chakra, the baby keeps chanting _pain, pain, pain, hunger, hunger, hunger and_ _sad, sad, sad _along with _fear!_

In the first few weeks, there was an elderly man who took care of his jailor. One of the many that battled against him. Despite his awkwardness, the baby didn't protest much. It was only when the elderly man ordered his secretary to take care of the baby that it all downhill. Now, there isn't a day where the baby screams _Why? sad, sad, **pain**_, _no more, please, no more, hurts, bad, **pain, please, no more, **please. _

With each day that passes, the cage gets colder and the baby's thoughts slower and weaker. The baby gets so weak that he stops projecting his vision to Kurama. Kurama tries to as much as he can, but there's only so much he can do, by giving chakra to cure whatever wound is affecting his jailor's body faster.

Kurama even tries to touch the jailor with one of his tails when the pain gets excruciating, in the hopes it would comfort him, but to no avail. Eventually, the one Kurama keeps hearing is _h-h-h-u-n-n-n...gry, _alongside with _**p-a-a-a-a-i-i-i-ii-n**_ .

Until one day, the baby goes _red? _and two seconds later a small _pretty _follows. By the end of the day, the cage stops being cold and Kurama feels the jailor content. It's on the second day where Kurama senses foreign chakra being introduced to the jailor's body.

Every three hours the baby goes _yum, yum, yum_. And soon enough, the jailor stops needing Kurama's chakra anymore. Kurama stops hearing the word _hungry _and _pain _too. Small sparks of red and hints of warm eyes are all Kurama can see. The cage stops being dark. Quite on the contrary, it keeps getting brighter until Kurama growls at him to stop it or else he'll go blind with so much light. The waters stop being murky too, and Kurama can finally see his reflection again.

There are even lotus flowers floating in the water. By the end of the week, the baby's thoughts that were once filled with anguish and pain are now _happy _and _warm _, along with _don't leave me, pretty please_.

"Good for you Gaki, now stop bothering me," Kurama growls, except that it doesn't stop there. There's isn't a second in which the baby's happiness doesn't pester him. His jailor is so happy he wants to share it with Kurama, despite his many protests on the matter.

The first time Kurama sees who has made his jailor so happy, he mistakes her with his previous jailor, Kushina. Her chakra is fairly like Kushina's, yet this one feels shakier. She's younger than Kushina, and her hair is more orange than red. Strangely, it's the jailor's newest caretaker who entertains Kurama.

She sings him strange songs and stories about dreams coming true and touching every star in the sky that Kurama doesn't understand. And whenever the baby demands _more, more, more! _Kurama hears the rest of the song. One thing is for sure: her voice...isn't that _bad_.

As Kurama closes his eyes, he starts thinking that the moment he gets the chance to visit Isobu again, he'll tell him about a tale on why under the sea is better, since down there it's wetter and because on the shore, they work all day._ Also, when did newts play the flute?_

But before he falls asleep, there are three words his jailor gives that resonates throughout all the cage.

_Love_

_Happy_

_ **Mum** _

* * *

Kita feels someone opening her front door and it doesn't take long for her to quickly change into appropriate clothes. She takes Naruto into her arm and goes out to face whoever wants to talk with her at such an early hour.

It's Tamiko.

"Kita," For the first time, Tamiko sounds very disappointed at her. "Mind explaining to me why my dearest granddaughter hasn't visited me in two weeks…? I expected better Kita. And what happened to the house, it looks vastly different, where did you get the money-"

She doesn't finish the rest of the sentence, the moment Tamiko's gaze suddenly darts towards the baby Kita's holding in her arms, and a look of sheer terror overtakes her face. The look on Tamiko's face makes Kita's fear of rejection blossom into full-blown terror.

No one says anything in a while.

"Kita, dear," says Tamiko, trying to speak calmly, but her voice trembling with suppressed fright. Her pupils are dilated. "What did you get into?"

Their eyes met, and Kita takes a step back. The sudden movement is enough to awaken Naruto, who makes a sound that Kita translates _I want to sleep more! _Tamiko flinches at the sound as if someone had struck her.

"I didn't have a choice Obaa-san."

* * *

_Hopefully, it made one of you smile. Thanks for reading my super self-indulgent story. I'm so grateful for all the wonderful feedback, and thanks so much for reading! And special thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review, it definitely inspires me to keep writing!_


	6. Chapter 6

** Chapter 6 **

Crow wakes up, surrounded by chains around her legs and wrists. She's in a hospital room. But it isn't the metal that surprises her. It's the metal, it feels cold. When she tries breaking them, they don't bulge. Not even applying chakra can break them. _They're reinforced,_ her mind adds.

A hand touches her shoulder and she flinches at the contact as is if it _burns_.

She knows what it means; she's not alone. It takes a while to differentiate who's in front of her. At first, she thinks it's her master. But there are no bandages around his eye and there is a head protector in his neck that master never wears his.

"Rei," The stranger speaks, and it's then when Crow realizes it's the ANBU commander. His chakra feels soothing, meaning he's not angry at her. Crow must explain. She tries to speak, but before a word can leave her mouth, someone else enters the room. She can see the blurry kanji on the hat.

_Fire._

Confusion soon turns into fear when she realizes that it's Lord Fire Shadow, standing in the room. Her skin starts prickling when lord Fire Shadow approaches her. He's holding back his chakra. Something reserved when one of them has gotten hurt and they want to learn what happened. Yet...that's the thing, she can't exactly tell him without betraying her Master. Her tongue feels heavy.

It seems like she failed her Master again.

"Rei," His superiors speak softly, as if she was some type of scared animal. She's not. She shakes her head, in denial. She's not Rei. The moment Master picked her out from the slums, Rei is not her name anymore. She hears her commander trying to gather her attention by calling her the name that's not hers.

"What happened Rei?" He comes closer. Crow doesn't want him to come closer. She doesn't ever want someone approaching her, but since her chakra is bound, she's at the mercy of them. She can't _escape_. She tries opening her eyes, but since the left eye is so swollen, one of the nurses ends up covering it with a bandage.

"Can you explain to us why we found near the outskirts of the village?"

_So damaged_ is what her superior want to ask, but she's glad he doesn't. Because she doesn't know how to answer it, without betraying master's will. This is the last chance Master gave him. Master was lenient in his punishment. She will not fail. She'll cut her tongue if it's necessary.

"Tell us your name," Lord Fire Shadow orders her. She tastes bile. She hates orders because she has come to associate orders and expectations, she won't meet. But it is not like she has a choice anymore.

Master made sure of erasing that hope too.

"Crow," She replies back because that's the thing. She's not Rei and never will. She's _Crow._ She ignores the sharp grimace on the other's face.

"My name is Crow, sir."

"When was the last time she had a period of rest?" Lord Fire Shadow asks as Crow keeps repeating her name. She needs to make them know. She's not Rei. Master said it was _Crow._ "I don't remember an ANBU reacting this badly-"

"Ten years ago."

* * *

They used to tell that the village, as a little child, is where your heart is. That was not the case for Nara Taizō, a jounin in his late twenties. Someone who had been recently ordered to come back, after a decade undercover.

The memories about the village that saw him grow up and prosper were bittersweet, in a way. Unlike other comrades, the decade spent in _Taki no Kuni_ had diluted fervor loyalty Taizō used to have. The same loyalty every genin swears the day he graduated from the academy at the age of 10.

And while he could admit that Konoha still ran deep in his blood, _Taki no Kuni_ had softened him a bit. He couldn't deny that. The hidden waterfall village wasn't as big as Konohagakure. Yet... there was something charming about it. After all, he lived in the village built around a tree for almost ten years.

If he hadn't liked it, he would have returned a long time ago.

Instead of the humid weather so distinctive of Konoha, Taizō had to get used to the cold breezes all year long. Endless breezes that passed through tall-grass meadows surrounding the forest of Takigakure. But it wasn't only the weather that shocked him. It was more of the brutal honesty many people in Takigakure carried within.

A shocking thing, since Konoha loved to use words as a double-edged weapon. The decade spent in Takigakure changed him. He had gone there with another mission, but he prolonged it. The mission to gather information about a forbidden technique was an excuse. From all the shame and the past, Taizō's had been running from.

A past that haunted Taizō, even to this day.

During his stay in Takigakure, Taizō befriended many villagers. So much that he was given an invitation to watch how they extracted _Eiyu no Mizu _from the tree. Not only that, but in Takigakure he could cloud watch all he wanted, and nap in the many trees waterfall country had.

If he was being honest, Taizō had hoped that Konoha had forgotten about him. It happened to other members in the past. He didn't expect, receiving a letter detailing he had a month to return. The moment he read the letter, Taizō thought about not returning to Konoha.

Because unlike Takigakure, Konoha only knew him as the bastard child of Nara Shikaru. To Konoha, Taizō was just a product of a night full of passion in the red-light district of Iwagakure.

Taizō grew up knowing he was different, since his family from an early age, wasted no time putting him into place. Like his last name; given only because of his father was the younger brother of the Nara clan head from the time.

Since Taizō wasn't as _pure_ as the other Nara member, his father couldn't give him a name that started with Shika. So, he didn't qualify to be part of the famous "Ino-Shika-Cho" formation. Instead, Taizō had an Uchiha prone to headaches and a poison specialist orphan called Rei.

An unconventional team filled with unconventional people. Before they made it chuninchunin, Taizō learned a lot of things. Like how one should never call a poison specialist _"troublesome". _Or that the Uchihas's dōjutsu makes them pretty good with paperwork.

And even if Taizō wasn't as intelligent as the common Nara or even his shadow technique wasn't refined. Even if he wasn't as genius as his younger cousin Shikaku, he had his father. It was because of him why he kept trying.

In a family full of genius, Taizō stuck out like a sore thumb. Like Shikaku, who every small achievement Taizō did, Shikaku did it ten times better. Taizō made chunin at 18, Shikaku made it at 10. Taizō learned the shadow techniques at 12, Shikaku at 8. And so on, until Taizō stopped presenting to the clan meetings at all. Everything to avoid more complaints from the elders about his lack of promotion to Jounin.

And while he knew that his family was the definition of troublesome, Taizō at least had his father. Until one day his father, Nara Shikaru, made a statement. Stating that Shimura Danzō was the one responsible for the children's disappearances. Taizō doesn't remember much from the time, but either way, the higher-ups weren't happy about it.

The elders demanded his father's immediate retraction and apologies to Shimura. Along with the resignation of his charge in the Intelligence Division department. His father did no such thing. Despite Rei's urgent comments to "_please try to change your father's mind Taizō,"_ and "_Danzō is not a lenient man,"._

But he didn't, thinking that everything would be okay in the end. It did not. The day before his Father gave his report on the children's disappearances, Taizō was given a mission. An assassination mission, in exchange for a Jounin promotion. Taizō immediately accepted since he was the only Nara in his generation who still hadn't made it to jounin.

It was only when he reached his destination, that he realized who was the target. It was no other than his father. Not even the jounin promotion, that Taizō had longed for _years_ managed to stop the trauma.

The way his father's last words whispered _Ta...izō?_ _Why-y?_ as he slit his throat. He tried to retract, but his father knew that if Taizō did, shame would fall on their family.

Even to this day, he had nightmares of his father's body falling to the floor and Tatami mat covered in blood.

The cherry on top was when his father's research, about Shimura Danzō, disappeared the next day. Soon enough his father's name was tarnished with a fake story of treason, but Taizō knew the truth. His father loved the village, more than anything else.

The night he killed his father was when Taizō realized there was something wrong with the village. The only thing he regrets leaving behind his teammates, Rei. The one who had been recently promoted to ANBU, despite her rejecting the offer _twice._

_You will write to me, okay?_ Rei made him promise as Taizō said goodbye to her in the gates. The handprint left on his cheek when Taizō muttered "troublesome" took weeks to heal.

Taizō missed her. Despite all the lack of emotions and poker face, Rei was affectionate in her own way. They even nicknamed her _Crow _once Hiro gave him the summoning contract. And for every of that month, her crow summons would follow her everywhere.

That's why he bothered to return. But it was only when he finally reached Konoha's gates, that he realized something was wrong. Because besides Shikaku and his teammate Uchiha Hiro, there was one person missing.

Rei wasn't there, waiting for him.

"Where's Rei?" He asks but no one replies. Hiro places a hand on his shoulders as Shikaku orders him to voice his registration ID. It's traditions the Nara follows whenever a family member is absent for a long period of time.

As he finishes giving his numbers, Hiro breaks the news.

"Someone hurt her," He pauses, "It doesn't look well Taizō."

* * *

The outcome is inevitable and they end up arguing over Naruto. Tamiko wants Naruto gone from this house and Kita will not budge. That is where Kita learns that the sweet caring grandmother has quite a temper. The living room becomes a bloody battleground.

And instead of swords or weapons, words are the weapons and tears are the wounds.

Kita is not prepared to deal with it. She tries to voice out her argument and sounds as convincing as possible, but it doesn't work. Not even voicing the baby's bad state before her or no one wanting to take care of him works. Instead, Tamiko uses Kita's words to her advantage. And soon enough Kita is on the verge of tears due to the frustration.

"The baby will stay," Kita says, but her voice comes out wobbly. She hides Naruto from Tamiko's angry state, as the baby whimpers, not knowing what is happening. "He's family now."

Tamiko flinches as if struck.

"He will _not_."

"Then I will leave tomorrow morning," Kita replies, walking straight into her room. She only sounds that resonate through the house is her sliding the door with as much pettiness she can. By the end of the day, she goes to sleep. Worried on how she can put Naruto's clothes in one bag and the worry of an uncertain future.

* * *

If someone had told Kita she would start dreading waking up, Kita would have laughed at their faces. She had always been a prolific early riser, even when she finished her major. But ever since the nation of Naruto attacked, Kita now has a hard time waking up.

Now, most of her morning routine consisted of waking up either to a talking or crying baby. Yet this morning, Naruto was being quiet. Too quiet with a baby. Very _unlike-baby_. So, she cracks one eye open, so she sees where he is, but there's no baby in the crib.

_Uh._

She tries to remember, but since she is still half-asleep, it takes a while. The last thing she remembers was arguing with Tamiko until Naruto pooped in his onesies. And they both choose to retreat once the smell invaded the living room.

But her mind translates into getting _more sleep _and she closes her eyes. Just when she's about to fall asleep that her brain computes the implication of a silent bedroom. Kita flips the covers and _runs_ as fast as she can. (which isn't much, considering that little kids run faster than her)

Kita's mouth drops.

"Good morning Kita," Tamiko greets her and points at the chair. It's one of the few things that came with the house, ever since the ninjas demolished most part of the furniture. She still hasn't gotten the chance to buy countertops. Kita tries not to think too much about all the lost furniture, because the mere thought of it still angers her.

But it isn't the furniture that is making her stand there slack-jawed and dumbfound. It's more of the sight of Tamiko and the baby on her lap who's fervently sucking one of her fingers. A shocking thing, considering that only yesterday Tamiko wanted Kita to return him.

"Sit," Tamiko orders her, and the smell coming from the table is making Kita's mouth water. Grilled fish, rice, miso soup, and a lot of boiled vegetables. Right on cue, her stomach begins to growl. Oh god, how she missed this kind of breakfast. The one time she tried to recreate the grilled fish, it ended up tasting like ash.

She shudders, remembering the incident. After that, she didn't try again. As soon she sits down, the aroma reaches her nose and yep, Tamiko's cooking is _godlike_. While Kita exterminates every boiled vegetable within her reach, she eyes the baby. Naruto blinks, presses his tiny head against Tamiko's chest and starts sucking his fist.

_Adorable._

"Good morning Naruto," Kita greets only to watch him yawn and close his eyes. Naruto doesn't bother replying and Kita chuckles. It doesn't take long for him to fall asleep again, judging by the small snores coming out of his mouth. _Double adorable._

"Someone sleepy, uh?"

She eyes the grilled fish and contemplates whether she should eat or not. The doctor specified she should limit her magnesium intake. She doesn't even get to touch it because Tamiko intercepts it with her chopsticks.

"I made you tamagoyaki, Kita," _Oh_, her mind says, still half-asleep, so she eats that instead. It's only when she sees Tamiko taking out some scrolls that Kita almost spits the omelet she's eating. It's the contract.

_That she forgot to hide it._

_Oh_.

Her mouth dries up and her hand starts sweating. Suddenly, the room looks bigger. Her heart begins to beat faster because she knows what the contract's content and what it states. Kita doesn't know what to say. How can she even start explaining this?

Tamiko's eyes soften.

"I'm so sorry you got trapped into this," She says. "I made a promise to your father that I would protect you at all cost, yet it seems like I have failed him once again."

They don't argue about Naruto staying again.

* * *

If there's one thing Kita loves is doing the dishes. There's something fairly therapeutic about. It could also be because she loves the smell of dish soap. Anyways, she's drying them. Her OCD already pictured how she wants to store them. Not too far from here are all the dried platters and the many bowls set Tamiko bought the other day. Ah, the _wonders_ of having furniture to store it. Right now, there are now arranged by color and shape.

Her hands reach out to the last bowl, her mind already filing where should she put it.

From afar she can hear the commotion. Since the kitchen opens to the living room, she only needs to turn her head to the side to see what's happening.

It's Tamiko adorning the walls, with a babbling Naruto watching her with interest. He looks cute with the onesie she bought. She even stitched him the spirals that Tamiko likes so much. It brings more of his eyes. Kita huffs and returns to organizing. All while hearing Naruto blabber, deep in thought.

There's no denying that living with Tamiko is a blessing and at the same time a living nightmare. On one hand, there are many advantages that come with living with an experienced person. Kita's life definitely gets easier.

Small things such as taking the time to wash her hair, cleaning the house or even taking a nap are back. But on the other part, there isn't a single day in which Kita isn't corrected about her inept caretaker skills. And while she is grateful to learn the correct way to put on a diaper or how to wash him, it's starting to get annoying. Especially when every single thing gets criticized.

From the way, Kita is feeding him (the angle is straining his neck, blablabla) to the way she swaddles him. Even her choice of baby clothes doesn't suffer Tamiko's harsh critiques. Her patience soon gets thin. Not even Naruto learning how to roll over was enough to please Tamiko's high standards.

She pauses as she dries the last dish.

And while Tamiko hasn't voiced it out, Kita can tell she's uncomfortable with the whole situation. She's afraid of Naruto. Kita can tell. Whenever Naruto starts crying, Tamiko leaves the room. Tamiko doesn't like touching him that much. But there's this _look_ she gives him whenever he falls asleep in her lap.

It's not fear, but more like..._sadness? _Kita is lost here. She wants, so to ask why so many people are terrified of Naruto. Is it because Naruto is the only blonde baby in the village? Does it have to do with the whisker's scars on his face? Could it be related to the orphanage attack?

She resumes her duty, hopeful. Hopeful that with each day passes, Tamiko will warm up to him. For some strange reason, Naruto is _obsessed_ with Tamiko. Kita has lost count the times she has stumbled on them both napping in the living room.

Kita hears Naruto's happy shrieks and she can't help but smile at the scene. It's Tamiko holding him as she finishes adorning the walls.

Must be the _granny_ _magic _or something.

* * *

There are times where Kita wants to throw the towel and desert this village. Go somewhere far away in a cabin in the middle of the forest and simply _sleep_. Times where Kita considers divorcing Naruto. Times where the only thing Kita wants is Naruto to please stop crying_ and why are you crying in the first place._

Every time Naruto cries, Kita gets flashbacks from the first couple of days she took care of him. She picks him and tries to do everything she knows. From burping him, checking his diaper, rocking him, even singing.

But nothing works.

He keeps crying and sobbing until Tamiko saves the day, rocking him a special way. It's only when she goes back to sleep, that she realizes this is the first time Tamiko held a crying Naruto.

"Thank you," she whispers in the dark.

* * *

Taking care of a baby is very complicated. Since Naruto doesn't have a strong immune system yet, whoever touches him must have clean hands. Meaning a lot of soaps involved and her OCD screams in glee when the doctor informed her that.

It also gives her an excuse to clean the house more, so in the end, everybody is happy. She's so dedicated to it. That's how she learns about tatami mats. They're made of dried, woven rush reeds covering a hard-compact straw core. It's why they have a smooth surface.

Meaning she can't exactly throw bleach and scrub it unless she wants the tatami mat to grow mold. Another tough day for the OCD department. Since she doesn't have a vacuum cleaner, she must wipe down the surface with a dry cotton cloth. _(how come this world has refrigerators and not vacuum cleaners? Kita has no idea)_

The _manual way_.

One way to prevent bad smells is by wiping down the mats with a small amount of regular vinegar. That's how the next day the whole house ends up smelling like vinegar and Tamiko ends up confiscating it.

She also wipes the windows, window frames, walls, and tatami mats with a dry cloth to keep moisture down. That's now her number one enemy: humidity. While one may think in winter humidity isn't a big thing, it is. She has long stopped trying to understand how this whole weather works.

She tossed that metaphorical towel a long time ago.

Kita also learns thanks to Tamiko that she should always support the baby's head and neck. It takes a lot of tries but now Kita can carry him to the market and not worrying the baby head will fall off. She may be overthinking, but after living here for more than two months, _everything can happen._

The only thing she has yet to get used is changing diapers. From a clinical point of view, she can understand the theory behind it. How many times one should change as soon as she thinks there are some bowel movements. She can even handle the cleaning and covering Naruto's bum in a very thick layer of cream to avoid diaper rash.

It's only when she starts wondering about "what if" that she has meltdowns. Times where she ends up thinking what if she doesn't get the chance to come home. That's her worst fear. Spending the rest of her life in this strange world.

Naruto is not the problem; she has definitely gotten fond of him and Tamiko.

But this isn't her world, and there isn't a moment where she doesn't miss it. This society is not only too conservative for her, but it's also traditionalist. Sexist. Dangerous. Very dangerous. Women are nothing more than an object here. Unless you're a ninja, civilians women are meant to have for babies and honor their family. That women here are best for staying at home and taking care of the children.

She despises it. More when she thinks that she has been reduced to that too.

Not only that but this world is far more violent. People here don't hide they are mercenaries. They _gloat on it._ There's even an annual event where ninja from all villages gather around and fight to the death. They're proud of it. There isn't a day in which he doesn't see a ninja entering the front door covered in blood. Not only that...but there are a lot of severe human rights violations.

Tamiko has given her brief snippets and commentaries that tell this village's reality. How despite the niceness facade, it's more sinister and dangerous than what it looks like. Rape and people trafficking are common here. It took her one day to realize how privileged she is compared to others. Even living in this village gives her an advantage, since it's common to rape women in rural villages.

Not that it really stops ninja from raping woman here though. Sure, you have the police station but...it's not _enough_. Whenever it happens, the authorities don't bat an eye for that, and most of the time the woman is blamed. It's why many women go out in groups since ninja here has a special technique that can form illusions. The only reason why Kita even goes out alone is that she knows she has some sort of protection.

There is even a book called bingo book detailing each man or woman with a large bounty on their heads. It doesn't matter if they bring them dead or alive, they want the body. There are different types of bingo books. The one released to the public is only to bring awareness to civilians.

She only hopes she gets the chance to get back home.

* * *

Soon Naruto turns four months, weighing 6.8 kg. They celebrate it with a homemade cake. For some strange reason, Kita's old-fashioned chocolate cake _blows_ Tamiko's mind. Everything is happy until Kita realizes that Naruto can't exactly _eat _the cake, so she eats another slice.

Fuck the diet.

* * *

By four months old, Naruto can now raise his arms while on his stomach, roll over and reach for an object. Kita's hair, for example.

For a baby, he tugs _hard._ Naruto also discovers the existence of _toes_ as the greatest discovery ever to date. No really, Naruto likes to play with his toes. Kita doesn't understand why he finds them so funny. So, whenever Naruto starts fuzzing Kita only needs to show Naruto his toes and he starts giggling. Sometimes he starts letting happy shrieks.

Kita lets him be.

Naruto also likes to drop stuff. A lot. Whenever Kita cleans the house, half of the time she has to pick up the whole arsenal of toys Tamiko buys for him.

(who's spoiling him now Tamiko, huh? _Huh!?_)

He delights himself into repeatedly dropping the same object over only so he can watch her pick it up. Until one day Kita has enough and leaves the toy on the floor for the whole evening to prove her point.

The next day, Naruto doesn't drop his toy for the rest of the morning, sucking it. What's the best part of Naruto turning four months old? Is that Naruto learns to _laugh, _and to Kita?

It sounds like music to her ears.

* * *

"Kita?" She hears while focusing on Naruto. He recently learned how to babble. Now, there isn't a day in which Naruto serenades them with his _"ba-ba-ba" _and "_oh-ga-ga-ga". _It's also very entertaining hearing Naruto raising and lowering his pitch_._

"Mmm..?" Kita replies from afar, as she mouths "_baba"_ to Naruto. It doesn't take long for Naruto to reply back with different variations of the word. He's sitting in one of the baby feeding chairs Kita especially ordered. Which translates into drawing it and leaving it outside with the word "_please_". Because the next day, the chair appeared in her living room.

That's how most of the furniture Kita needs end up in the house. Tamiko has stopped asking her about it and filed it as her granddaughter having weird taste.

Kita turns her head to see Tamiko, holding the recently washed clothes.

"What happened to all the formal attire we had in the house?" Tamiko asks as she's finishing picking up laundry. She hums as she gives Naruto his favorite toy and watches as he starts sucking it. She answers, while wishing for a camera to capture Naruto's expression.

One thing is for sure: he has her totally whipped.

"You mean the black baggy dress gathering dust in the back of the closet?" She says, not giving too much thought, as Naruto coos in gratitude. _Why is he so adorable?_ "I made some adjustments."

Two seconds later, Tamiko answer with a scandalized yell.

"_What."_

* * *

Oh.

_Oh_.

_**Oh**_.

She modified a _funeral attire_. And went wearing that to the _fucking _Hokage tower. No wonder everybody looked at her funny. Tamiko is so angry that even Naruto (the traitor) decides to abandon her by falling asleep.

Leaving Kita at the total mercy of a granny's ire. And oh _boy_, is she angry. Judging by the number of rapid words leaving Tamiko's mouth, it was hella expensive. How the hell, how can she even- how was she supposed to know that?

It's not like this body came with instructions in the first place!

She spends the rest of the lecture with her head ducked down, as Tamiko confiscates the sewing machine. Along with all the very expensive clan attires.

Oh well.

The only thing Kita regrets was commenting on how she wore with_ that_ to the Hokage's meeting. Resurfacing once more Tamiko's anger and indignation on the matter.

_Oops._

* * *

She chooses to flee the house two days later, with the excuse to buy groceries. The truth is that she just went with that to not have another history class with Tamiko's endless knowledge. Not that Tamiko is a bad teacher. She's very good at explaining. But it's a lot of information she didn't know before and there are so many details she has to memorize and honestly?

She just wants some peace, every once in a while.

By the time she reaches the center of the village, her brain is still swimming with information. Mostly, the subtle differences between the formal attires the Wanatabe family wears.

Apparently, the "dress" she transformed was a special one Kita's family had. It was also adorned with..special _seals?_ Tamiko said it was different than the ones she painted on the walls the other day. Something about the number of layers. She sighs, frustrated, for not paying attention. The lesson had been very interesting, indeed. If only Naruto hadn't been so fuzzy this morning and tugging her hair.

She'll buy a hairpin so Naruto doesn't get more access to her poor hair. Tamiko hadn't been lying about babies needing attention. Naruto takes a lot of her time. She takes out her notebook and sees where she's supposed to go, to not get lost.

She doesn't find hairpins that day, but! She does find a bookstore near the beginning of the Nara district.

_Book!_

Kita makes a beeline to the store and has absolutely no shame whatsoever, in buying fifteen books in one go. Since she still hasn't made friends, she's going to drown her "lack-of-friend" sorrows in literature. She also buys whatever children books for Naruto, because he likes to listen to her voice. As Kita browses the whole bookstore by storm, there is one specific that catches her interest.

_Icha-Icha Paradise._

Kita doesn't have any idea what the _"Icha-Icha"_ could mean but it has the word "_paradise" _on the book cover. The seller tells her that this book was recently being introduced to the market, and it's quite good. Call her delusional or whatever you want, the book cover reminds her of "This Side of Paradise", so she's going to buy it. It won't be probable as good as F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing.

But...maybe "_Icha Icha Paradise"_ will still talk about social and moral values on society.

Back at home, she nurses Naruto and makes him fall asleep before taking up her recent purchases to her room. Hopefully, she'll be able to read before waking up Naruto to feed him. It takes her twenty pages to conclude that this doesn't resemble at all the novel she fell in love with as a teenager.

Not one single bit.

It's...well, _uh._

Different from any other book she has read. One hundred percent different than "This Side of Paradise". So much that she has to take short breaks between pages, just to process what she read, her whole face flushed.

It someone asked her what the book is about, it's...well, _uh.._about the typical enemies to lover trope with the exception that...it's...very _explicit_. It's more explicit than the erotica section they had in the library.

Because with each page she reads, her face gets hotter. It starts out small, a subtle thing, but by the end of the first part, her face looks like a tomato. She only hopes Tamiko won't barge into her room because she has no way to explain why she's reading a NSFW graphic novel.

It takes her forty minutes to finish the first part.

"This the filthiest book I ever read," Kita tells the open air, hoping that no ANBU can hear her. She knows she should set it aside and hide it forever but…she eyes the cover again, hating herself. But_...but _she just got to the part where Sunade (the female protagonist) discovered the love Yiraija has hidden for years, as he's mortally wounded by Anzo's evil machinations… and.. ._and_…

Two seconds later, she blurts.

"Jane Austen, from the bottom of my heart," She takes a deep intake of breath before declaring with the book in her hand. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

"Wait, she left the best part out?" Jackal says, clearly offended. They are all perched near the tree that leads to the secondary target's room. They can see her sleeping, and not too is the main target dozing off. They already know their routines.

To Jackal after one week of surveillance, civilians are the most boring people on this earth. He's never going to marry one, even if Tsume pressures him. He already knows their routines. Primary target likes to sleep, and secondary target likes to obsessively clean. So much that now Jackal must make some distance before it overwhelms his sensitive nose.

"Hush it," Bear hisses. "The target is sleeping."

"It's not like we are going to wake up them Taicho," Snake scoffs from the tree below. They're all close to each other. "They're civilians."

"The elderly woman isn't," Hound hums. That he cannot lie. Ever since the elderly got back, it's definitely got harder to do their job. She made some sort of seals on the wall and now they only know what they are speaking by lip-reading.

His superiors are definitely not happy about it.

"She doesn't smell like the target," Jackal adds when another silence stretches. It's one of the many special traits that made him get into this division. The elderly smells..._sad_. But then again the secondary target also smells like _fear _and something he can't pinpoint.

She doesn't smell like the normal civilian either.

"Let them be Jackal," Hounds reminds him. Unlike Jackal, Hounds likes to watch them. It's soothing in a way, since it's what he pictures when he finally has the chance to retire. Morning filled with breakfast and not wondering if the next mission will be his last.

After a decade and a half working for ANBU, Hounds knows that his body is too old to keep up. He's not like Jackal, who has recently being incorporated after Crow got suspended.

Hopefully, in two more months, he'll be discharged and transferred to the regular forces. Maybe even become a desk ninja. He huffs because, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter.

He needs to focus on finishing the mission. In less than six-hour their shift will end and they will swap with another squad. Hounds know that the other younger members from ANBU, Cat, and Dog are definitely fond of them.

Cat even makes them furniture.

"They're so _boring._"

"It's because you're still young," Bear replies. "Soon you'll get fed from all the blood spilled."

"Either way, everyone knows the last fifteen pages are the best," Jackal continues. "And don't even get me started on the sequel-"

"No it's not," Bear replies, watching to hit him. Hound isn't that far from hitting him either. He misses Crow. At least she had common sense. "Is every Inuzuka like this?"

* * *

Tamiko eyes her work in progress and thinks where she should attack first. She finished with the base and in each corner are the first glimpses of each layer. It needs to be five minimum for the seal to function. And from the six and forward, she needs to mold each corner with the characteristics she wants.

There are other ways to form the seal she wants, but like any other Uzumaki, she's stubborn. It runs deep in her blood. And if she will not live in this house without the seals that used to decorate each Uzumaki home back at Uzu. It's one of the things that she refuses to let go.

Her hands are colored in black ink, and not too far from where the baby is sleeping, is Tamiko's sealing kit. She could have done it with a brush, but every self-respectable Uzumaki knows that seals last longer by channeling emotions.

After all, the brush is a tool that simply channels her chakra into the ink, and she can do that with her hand just fine. She needs to finish before Kita arrives so there she is, making the final touches. Not that she regretted lying to her granddaughter by asking her if she please a specific tea, when she wanted her out.

For the seal to work, she needs to do it alone.

Her old body feels tired. But then again, ever since October 10th, when hasn't she felt tired? There have been too many destructions and too many deaths.

And what hurts her the most is that her family (the one she swore to protect from the day she fled Uzu) is gone. Now the only thing Tamiko has left is Kita and she _will not_ leave her in danger again.

She takes a deep breath, before charging again. A lot needs to be done today. She needs to at least put the self-heating, silencing and protecting seals. So, both Kita and the baby can live more until winter end. And because they are being watched, the walls need to be reinforced, so they won't breach their privacy.

If she has enough time, she'll also add another layer of privacy, so the ANBU watching them will only sense their chakra. It doesn't matter if Hiruzen thinks it's necessary, because she will not let anyone peek at Kita when she's defenseless.

Then she'll put a free-nightmare seal, so both the baby (_the container)_ and Kita can sleep well. Ever since she placed a quick seal in Kita's door, she hasn't heard her having more nightmares.

She huffs as she finishes making the eight-layer. Now all she needs are the details. A quick "ba-ba" interrupts her, just as she's about to pick the brush. She turns her head, and the baby looks at her with interest.

"Ba-ba…?" Naruto speaks, warming Tamiko's broken heart. Tamiko stops what she's doing and goes to pick him up.

"Oh Naruto," Tamiko says, picking him up. She hugs the baby, the one she had thought was a lost cause. The little one Tamiko sacrificed and left behind, to protect her people. But fate has its cruel way by giving the little human back to her. The gods have spoken, and their wishes are clear.

_Take care of him_.

Tamiko won't disappoint them.

The baby gurgles more.

_"Ba-ba,"_ He mutters and blinks, remembering who's holding him. He instantly coos, arms flailing. Her eyes go to watch what is keeping Naruto so interested, and it's none other than her seal.

_Uh_.

"It's for your kaa-san Naruto," She tells him. Soon enough Naruto start making "ka-ka-ka" sounds, as he rests his head against her chest. She can sense the chakra in the baby, who's unconsciously transmitting to her.

It's soothing.

Kita used to transmit her chakra too, but ever since she woke up Tamiko can't sense it at all. Well...it was one of the many things that changed ever since Kita woke up. Not that she isn't grateful. There isn't a day in which she doesn't pray in gratitude to the Uzu gods, for making her granddaughter wake up. But there are certain _things_…she doesn't _quite_ understand from her anymore.

Tamiko eyes the window, deep in thought.

She has been patient for her to recover, but sometimes it feels as if Kita is a totally different person. There are days where Tamiko misses the old version of Kita and her laughter. This Kita is more reserved, and sometimes acts as if she doesn't know what she's doing. And her chakra...doesn't feel like _warmth _anymore.

_"The baby will stay," _words that keeps ringing in her ear. She's still different, but...the fierce look Kita gave her while hiding the container, is something that is still part of Kita. It reminds her of his late son, the one that gave his life so they could escape.

_"He's family now."_

She feels a chubby hand touching her face and she mimics eating it, earning a shriek from Naruto.

"Ba," She hears him and it's Naruto letting him know he wants more attention. He looks so serious that she ends up laughing. So demanding, like her late son Ayashi. A pang of hurt hits her. While it's been decades since she lost her son, she still hasn't forgotten how her little Ayashi looked like.

Naruto looks so much like him, and his chakra is fairly like Ayashi. So, she sings him the same lullabies that she sang for Ayashi, and the baby falls asleep. With more determination, she finishes the first four seals.

Hoping that the seals will be enough to pay for her wrongdoings and for her prejudice. Kita was right, Naruto is nothing more than a baby. And while the old age is making her more sentimental, living with Naruto has given her some hope.

Hopes that the clan history and knowledge won't die with her and Kita. That Naruto will honor the Uzumaki name and make the nations that brought Uzu down, cower with fear.

"You'll make us proud," She whispers down to him. "Naruto."

* * *

**OMAKE**

* * *

"So you're telling me that for the past couple of weeks, you found an interesting detail regarding the secondary target?" The ANBU commander asks, as he picks up his report. Jackal can feel the tension in the air. "That you thought it was relevant enough to be added into the report?"

"Secondary target has been mumbling the exact phrase over the past couple of days," Jackal replies, bobbing his head. He sees the commander ruffling through the ten-page report. The commander put on his glasses and starts reading it out loud.

"Just a small town girl. Living in a lonely world..." The commander speaks. His monotone voice is very different than the off-key singing voice secondary target has. There's a brief silence before the echo of the commander's voice reverberates throughout the room like a thousand bullets ricocheting in a metal chamber

"Do you think ANBU is a _joke?_!"

Jackal gulps.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thanks, 100pureawesomeness for beta reading!_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

It's been four months since Kita ended up here, and there isn't a second in which she does not miss her world dearly. She desperately wants to go back. And while she promised to herself that caring for Naruto wouldn't be an impediment to her search; the truth is that she hasn't been able to find much information on the matter.

All of her efforts had been in vain because apart from not knowing where to even begin, this village is very secretive. Since she's at the bottom part of the ladder, and there's not much information released to the general public, she's got even less information to work with than if she were an academy student.

During the first month, she was hopeful that borrowing some material from the library would be enough to give her a hint on where she should start, since it holds this village's history and the basics of the shinobi arts. But all of her hopes were crushed the moment she got informed that the library is totally _off-limits_ for civilians.

When she inquired why the guard simply laughed at her face and pushed her away. _"Why don't you go to the marketplace?"_ He asked in a mocking way, and before she could voice out a response an officer escorted her back to the market.

Yeah, she's _definitely_ not going to try her luck there. Ever since that day, all of her progress for her research has stalled. She's not going to ask Tamiko because she'll get suspicious and Kita is a firm believer of doing things on your own.

So what has she been doing this past month? The answer would be that she's assessing her surroundings in order to facilitate the search, but the painful truth is that she hasn't done _shit_.

And with Naruto, it's ten times more difficult. Not because the baby is noisy or anything like that, because Naruto (excluding the few times where he's screaming as if being murdered) is a mellow baby, in general. As long as someone holds him, the baby is pretty chill.

It's only a matter of singing him, and he'll sing along with his cooing. It has to do more of the villagers being fucking _nasty_ with Naruto. She can't research in peace with Naruto in her arms because for some strange reason, people here hate blonde babies.

It's the only conclusion she has reached because most of the babies here have dark hair. Stupid, right? That people would be so dumb over something so insignificant as _hair_. Not only that, but the civilians that do interact with her, don't talk with her all that much. So...she's stuck, and she doesn't know what to do-

"Kita?" Tamiko asks from the other side of the house. She stops organizing the fruit and vegetables she bought earlier and goes to Tamiko's room. It's different than her room, more spacious. In the middle of Tamiko's bed is Naruto, playing with some blocks.

The sight of the baby so focused on playing while wearing the bear crochet hat, that she made for him the other day, warms her distressed heart. She ends up laying beside the baby, as Tamiko keeps tidying her room.

Plus, she doesn't know why but for some inexplicable reason Tamiko's bed is softer than her despite being both bought from the same vendor. Ugh. She's so jealous.

"I want to ask you for a favor Kii-chan," She says with a smile, eyes wrinkling even more. "If you aren't busy, of course."

"Sure," Kita murmurs with a yawn.

* * *

Let's talk about the trading, shall we? Konoha's commerce is quite diverse in that matter. While at first glance one may think that there aren't many foreign products here, considering the deeply ingrained nationalism that every people in this village has, it isn't the case for Konoha.

Konoha has a lot of foreign products. Many things are imported here. From the glass to the silk they use for clothes, cosmetics or even cleaning utensils. They are all imported. According to Tamiko, this is the most populated ninja village in all nations. They don't give the specific numbers, but Kita is fairly sure that Konoha doesn't reach a tenth of Houston's population. Hell, Kita can bet that even Wichita has more people than Konoha.

Kita has yet to learn how exactly can this village finance itself, considering the vast population, but she's willing to say that it's the shinobi business that makes the most money. Apart from the army of ninjas, Konoha also heavily invest in commerce, judging by the pamphlets tall over the village, and another big part in agriculture.

While the center of the village is heavily urbanized or as urbanized as it can get, the outskirts are used for agriculture. This is why such things like a special type of lettuce called _Hakusai_ and turnip are cheaper than most of the stuff they sell here. After living for more than two months, Kita can finally buy all the stuff she needs without being mentally blocked by the language.

Don't even get her started on the language, because honestly? She doesn't know how this works either. While she knows that the current language she's speaking in Japanese thanks to her one week of Duolingo (which she totally aced,_ duh_), there are a lot of things that don't make sense to her anymore. If she doesn't focus hard enough, she'll switch languages.

Not only that but there are certain keywords that prompt the language change. Like for example carrots. She knows what exactly a carrot is but if she doesn't say Ninjin, she will start speaking in English and everybody will believe she's being possessed by a demon _again_.

The amount of water thrown at her face for speaking in English to "_clean your body"_ is astonishing. And for some strange reason, whenever she is speaking distracted, there's a word that always slips out of her mouth.

_Dattebasa._

She knows she's not the only one since she has heard Tamiko saying a variation of the word. Something like..._dattebayo_…?

Sorry, she's getting off-track. What was she talking about again? Oh, right. Commerce. While there is a lot of things sold here in Konoha, the authorities incentive first buying local products not because they're cheaper but because Konoha's produce is the _best of the whole continent_ and because their '_Will of Fire'_ stands strong and _blablabla_. Kita has yet to be convinced that matter, so she keeps buying whatever foreign just out of pettiness.

And because she hates this village so... #noregrets.

Anyways as she was saying, amongst many other things every villager need is tea, which is also imported. Here they drink tea like water. And while Kita can admit she is more of an iced coffee kind of girl, she cannot deny that living here has made her more tea-friendly.

Because here? Tea is a _big _deal. So much that they have a special type of ceremony involving tea, a festival involving tea, a spirit for tea, special equipment for tea, and everything you may think relating to..._tea_. There's a country called _Cha no Kuni_, deeply specialized fields of yep you guessed it:_ tea_.

And amongst the many things related to tea, are tea houses. Which are basically the equivalents of a fancy Starbucks but without the coffee option. The tea houses are super popular amongst civilians, and even the ninjas don't shy away from the social experience of gathering around a hot beverage.

So considering how much people love it, it's no wonder that people fight when the white tea that Tamiko likes so much is restocked back at stores. It's almost as bad as being stuck in a mall on Black Friday. Yeah, people are crazy about tea. So, why is she talking so much about tea?

Because Tamiko asked her if you could please buy some tea and said the word _please_, so here she is, looking for the stupid goddamn tea. This time it isn't even regular white tea that Tamiko likes so much or even the standard green tea everyone uses. It's... what was the name again? Kita tenses her face, trying to remember. Eventually, she takes out her faithful notebook to see the list, because it turns out _mommy brain_ is actually a thing.

(Except she's not Naruto's mom. She's only his caretaker.)

Ah! Sobacha, alongside with Gobocha and...she squints at her chicken scratch writing. Kami, why does she have awful handwriting? It takes her five minutes to differentiate what Tamiko asked for. Something along the lines of _Kom..bu...cha…? _Now, what the fuck is that? Kita doesn't have a clue.

But if there's one thing she has learned is that Tamiko's word is the law, and if she wants some special type of tea, then Kita has no other way than to follow her wishes.

Hopefully, they won't be hard to find.

* * *

Turns out looking for Kombucha _is _hard.

The store owner shakes his head and gives her a brief apology. Kita bites back a groan and instead, she gives a brief thanks. As soon as she gets out the door, she crosses out the option from the notebook, frustration boiling down to its maximum peak.

This is the sixth store she has visited while searching for the special tea Tamiko wanted, but to no avail. It seems as if the universe is laughing at her once _again_. Because it's she's been three hours of constant search and she has gotten _nothing_.

She's beginning to suspect those types of teas Tamiko wants doesn't exist at all, because she has searched_ everywhere. _She has torn Konoha from head to toes while looking for those and not a single store has it.

She even went to the Aburame district, which is on the other side of the village and filled with _magical bugs, _thinking they would have it but nope. Not even the bees have it. Kita sighs, exhaustion settling down its course.

Her feet are _killing _her.

She focuses once again on the notebook and thinks about how she should face this. Should she admit defeat? Or should she try again? Mmm. Choices. There's one store she hasn't visited, and it's near the Nara district. Oh _wait_, she thinks the moment she sees a shop that sells furniture around the corner.

Her will waver, since it's cute and _oh hell no_, she will _not_ waste the rest of the evening shopping for furniture! Tamiko asked for tea! And the tea will be served one way or the other!

She will not be a victim of her compulsive desires!

* * *

Okay, so the thing is that the furniture here it's pretty cute. Since she comes from a place were IKEA ruled for its generic design and affordability, it took her a lot to grow accustomed to the furniture they sell it. But after three months here, Kita can admit she's taken a liking.

While ANBU has made her some furniture like countertops, she still tries to maintain the traditionalist style they have here, to not overwhelm the granny with her "_unique"_ western style. Just like any other elderly, Tamiko has a hard time adjusting to new stuff. For example, the feeding chair. It took her quite some time for Tamiko to get used to it.

Plus, there's something very gratifying about window shopping. Furniture, among them. She likes to browse and establish the differences between this one and her world. Most of the furniture here is made of wood, and much of it has handles on the sides so it can be picked up and moved.

That's how she first ends up browsing a store dedicated to built _chigaidana_, which are staggered wall shelving typically found beside the alcove and used for displaying decorations like vases and incense burners. Then to _tsukeshoin,_ which are study desks that are typically built into one side of the room below a window. After a half an hour of bargaining a reasonable deal, she ends up shaking hands with the dealer.

And with a thirty percent discount! Yes! Tamiko will definitely appreciate it. She's still thinking about the decorations and where exactly she will be putting it when she stumbles into a stranger. _Hard_. Pain blossoms all over her body and she stumbles forward, the color washing from her face. She sways before someone grabs her and lowers to the ground.

So she does one thing.

She _faints_.

* * *

It's been two months since Taizō got back, and the truth is, that his sanity is barely holding it together. If it had been up to him, he would have chosen another long mission the moment he got back, anything to get out of the village and away from his family.

But ever since his latest psychological assessment failed, he has been forced to stay with his overbearing family. How exactly did he fail the assessment? Taizō has no clue, but rules are rules and until he's deemed fit to work again, he will be forced to stay in his family's land.

That is the official message from his superiors but Taizō knows the truth. The message is loud and clear on this one; Konoha has noticed that his Will of Fire has wavered and they are taking the necessary precautions to confirm whether Taizō is or not a spy. Taizō is constantly being watched. He hates it. He would have gladly visited Rei, but even his citizenship clearance got revoked, therefore he only gets to hear Rei's updates either by Hiro or Shikaku.

And since Hiro is filled with missions, he doesn't get to see him so often.

What he does know is that Rei is far more hurt than he had previously thought. Shikaku tries to reassure him that he will soon get the clearance to visit the Hospital, that this is only temporary, but Taizō knows it will take months before he's given permission. He hates it more. The only places he's allowed to go are public areas and for a certain number of hours. He now has a curfew and there are weekly meetings (interrogations) with his superiors he has to go through. Yamanaka sessions too, where his mind is weekly inspected to see any glimpses of treason.

Shikaku tells him it's a thing every undercover agent goes through when they're back but Taizō is skeptical. He blames it on his late father. And while things between Taizō and Shikaku are still uncomfortable due to the Taizō's past. Despite Shikaku's numerous attempts of bringing Taizō back into the clan, Taizō will never forget the lack of support when he needed it the most.

He simply wants to be left alone.

If only the elders hadn't given away _his _house during his absence. Now, he's living in Shikaku's house. The catch? Is that his cousin Shikaku failed to inform Taizō he got married and had a child. That's when everything goes downhill.

The morning his cousin's wife asked him if he could babysit Shikaku's son, cemented his fate. Before Taizō could realize what was even happening, Taizō ended up being the unofficial babysitter of Shikamaru and all the clan's children.

So, why was Taizō in the market, on a Sunday no less?

Because he is running from Yoshino, who had teamed up with the elders into inquiring Taizō why he hasn't gotten married. It reaffirms his belief that Yoshino must have some ancestry with the snakes instead of the deer, because oh Kami, how evil is that woman.

She has been very insistent on playing matchmaker with every woman of the clan. Now, apart from being the clan unofficial babysitter or favor guy, there isn't a moment where Taizō isn't bombarded about things he never had to worry in, and why couldn't they understand that all he wanted was a nap and not a wife and-

He doesn't get to finish the rest of his thoughts before he collides with someone, sending all the stranger's belongings flying all over the place. He opens his mouth to apologize but he doesn't even get to blink when he realizes the stranger with dark red hair is out cold.

Now,_ that's_ troublesome.

* * *

"Should we approach?" Jackal asks, unsheathing his katana. _Finally some action_, he thinks with glee. He's been going wild with so much surveillance.

"No," Bear says, exasperated. "The target simply fainted."

"But-"

"The jounin is giving her first aid."

"Bu-"

"_No_."

Jackal deflates on the spot.

* * *

A long hallway filled with numerous windows. She's being carried and there are sounds of waves in the background. At first, she doesn't understand what is even happening, but it doesn't take long for Kita to understand that this is another dream. It's slightly possible that colliding against the stranger made old Kita's memories resurfaced. She's being carried in someone's arms.

She's small again. Her hands are tiny and her hair feels heavy. Shells, she realizes when she touches one of them. They feel fairly similar, but it isn't the braids that make her gasp. It's the stranger carrying him. He looks familiar.

Just like the book she found in Tamiko's room. So, it must be Kita's father, she thinks. Or at least someone enough close to Kita to carry her in his arms. Whoever is carrying him is buff. He definitely went to muscle sorority or buff camp or something.

She craned her head and inspects the intrinsic looking tattoos in the stranger's arm. They look..._complex_. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that she's in another world Kita would have mistaken it for Celtic tattoos. Knots, circles, trinities interlacing covering both the arms and the upper chest.

"Do you know why we named you Kita?" A tall man asks her while she's being carried. She shakes her head, curious to know. The name Kita is quite uncommon in the village. She wants to know why out of all the names, Kita's father chose it.

"Why?" She asks, hugging more the stranger.

"Because you are the north to my star," He chuckles. "That will guide the clan through-"

"Tou-san, that's lame" She interrupts him with a poke on his tattooed bicep. Before she can say something the thought of _Silly Tou-san. That's not the correct answer!_ comes to her mind."Who gave you the idea?"

"Uzumaki M-"

* * *

Oh god.

What happened? She opens her eyes, and the first thing she sees apart from the sky is spiky brown hair. The grass feels soft against her skin and she feels lightheaded. _What?_ It faintly feels as if she had impacted against a rock or something because her head hurts.

A lot.

"Maa, maa," A voice speaks beside her. While "You hit your head rather hard."

"Who are you?" She asks without thinking. The pain is still there, but she knows that unless the nausea goes away, she shouldn't move. The stranger doesn't bother replying and instead, he raises her leg and loosened her obi.

He's a ninja. Her anxiety rockets because Kita hasn't quite forgotten the morning a ninja almost pulverized her shoulders and almost killed her. She starts trembling and blurts out a quick "I'm sorry", just in case.

"What?"

"I'm sorry," She repeats but her feeling lightheaded, and oh god did the ninja do something to her? Is he already doing some to her? Even if she apologized?

"Please don't hurt me," She says, except her voice comes out shaky. Oh no. No, no, no, don't you even _dare_. Because she knows what's going to happen next and- She sniffles once, twice and by the third time she angrily wiping the tears but to no avail and next thing she knows, she's bawling her eyes out, in front a shinobi no less.

* * *

"Please don't hurt me."

"Um, okay," Taizō says, unsure on how to proceed from here. From all the protocols and rules he memorized as a teen, there was never a clause on how to deal with a crying civilian. He only raised her legs to help her restore blood flow to the brain.

The woman didn't even hit her head _hard, _so why is she crying?

"I was trying to help, I'm sorry." He apologizes, but for some reason, it only makes things worse because the woman doesn't seem to stop crying. And for the first time in ten years, Taizō _panics_ because if the woman doesn't stop crying, Yoshino will know and she will _skin _him for making a civilian cry.

"Do you want to eat? As an apology? My treat." He blurts the first thing that pops through his mind when the woman keeps crying despite all his attempts to comfort her. As soon as the words leave his mouth, he can't help but cringe, because apparently, he has the emotional intelligence of a _potato_.

But there's a pause and the hiccups stop.

"As long as it isn't ramen," says the woman with a sniff.

"Sure," Taizō says reliefs, giving her a spare handkerchief. "I know a place."

* * *

So the guy that bumped into her is a shinobi._ Uh._ Interesting. He's wearing a green vest and a forehead protector, so he's definitely someone important. Whenever he talks, he seems awkward and tired, almost as he's afraid of her bursting into tears again.

Which, okay she did maybe overreacted but she still hasn't forgotten

And while the circumstances aren't the best, considering why she's here in the first place, she's willing to let it go because this is _free food_. And just like Naruto, Kita is very food motivated.

"Thanks," She says when the waitress brings them appetizers. It's been a while since she went out to eat. Well, actually this is the first time she's going out to a restaurant.

That's how she ends up in an Akimichi restaurant. It's a one-floor building with a terrace and judging by the restaurant facade alone it seems...expensive. More than she would have normally have preferred for other stuff, like a dango stand.

Not _this_.

A brief pang of insecurity hits her when she eyes the other woman civilians eating on the terrace. Her dirty looking Kimono doesn't compare to the beautiful clothes the other civilians are wearing. She definitely looks out of place. But she doesn't get to change the shinobi's mind, as he simply enters the restaurant when he hears _"Irasshaimase!"_

Leaving her no choice than to follow him. The interior decoration leaves her speechless. From the lighting to the table and to the soft music being played at the back, this whole place is _beautiful_. Especially since from her seat, she has a first view of the tank filled with colorful fish.

Either way, her mouth starts watering when she smells the food, so she guesses this place is legit.

"You never had Yakiniku?" He asks her as she eyes the food with doubt. Well, she remembers other types of barbecues since they do play a starring role on July 4th, but she never had this one before. There are some slight differences. Like for example, the type of meat and how they cooked it.

She settles down for the truth.

"I don't remember," She says shyly, not quite certain it is alright to say such a thing aloud. The man doesn't inquire more and starts explaining her instead. It isn't as hard as she imagined it to be. He teaches her how, even if she doesn't seem to grasp it at first.

Once the meat is cooked and ready, she stabs it with her chopsticks. He even chuckles when Kita dips the meat into a sauce and due to her poor chopsticks skills, the meat sinks into it like the Titanic.

Apart from the meat, there also served side dishes too like rice, pickles, kimchi, banchan, or assorted vegetables, to go with it. So it isn't like _terribly_ unhealthy. The only thing she misses are smashed potatoes and wonders why people aren't fans of it.

(The one time she commented it to Tamiko she got so offended that for the rest of the week she served _Kofuki Imo_ -salty and sweet powdered potatoes-)

As soon as she takes a bite, she can't help but whimper. She thought Memphis-style ribs were good, but this? This takes it to another level.

Kami, it's _delicious._

"So, what were you doing back there?" He asks once she finishes devouring the short ribs. "If you don't mind me asking-"

"I was looking for a special type of tea," She replies, well mannered. Well..as mannered as she can be considering that she ate more than half of the barbecue. The shinobi asks for another one. In her defense, she was hungry. "As you can probably guess I didn't find anything."

"But if I recall," He looks at her, eyebrows raised. She takes a sip of her beverage."You left a furniture store,"

She blushes, feeling called out. When she stammers out a quick reply the shinobi laughs, making that the start of playful banter between them both. By the end of the night, as the shinobi says goodbye and leaves her at her doorstep, she realizes something.

Was this...a _date?_

* * *

He reached the clan's land in fifteen minutes past twelve. Three hours past his curfew. The guards don't say anything to him, but Shikaku's house has the lights out. He doesn't get to open the door before someone opens it first. A small spike of fear passes through him the moment he realizes it's none other than _Yoshino_. She doesn't yell at him or smacks him, she...just stays quiet and glares.

Yoshino crosses her arms. He can feel the disapproval she's emanating.

"Taizō," She says in a clipped tone. He winces when she starts tapping her feet, which is only reserved whenever his cousin fucks up bad. He takes a step back, unsure.

"Finally decided to delight us with your presence…?"

It takes everything to not flinch.

"Hey, Yoshino," He says weakly, but Yoshino glares more. "Thanks-"

"Don't you dare try to thank me Taizō," Yoshino hisses, hitting him the arm. Once. Twice. And by the third, he winces when Yoshino applies chakra. Retired or not, Yoshino is still a terror. "Thank Shikaku for covering your ass and making a deal with his superiors or else you would already be rotting in a cell for treason."

"I'll-"

"And you can start thanking us by cleaning the house," He gulps when Yoshino gives him his toothbrush and points at the room. "I want the house sparkling, like _**now**_."

* * *

Naruto is almost five months old, and thanks to Kita's goodwill he now has three more onesies and four crochet hats. For some strange reason while Kita doesn't have access to the old Kita's memories she has her motor skills.

Old Kita was pretty good knitting, and it shows. Whenever she picks up a needle or a crochet hook, it isn't hard to finish it. From animal onesies to fruit themed hats, cloudy blankets to navy blue socks, that's how half of Naruto's clothes get made.

And unlike all the other stuff they sell here, his clothes are unique. It's only when she picks up a tiny pin and a transparent thread that she ends up doing something different. With that needle, she does knit stitch. It's smaller than all the needles she has, and whenever she uses it, it feels weird. It isn't the same. For some reason whenever she does stuff with that it feels as if the needle was...pulling _something _from her body. If she knits too much, she gets tired and falls asleep..

But if she doesn't knit stitch with that needle, her hands start tingling, and her craft _feels_ wrong. Either way, it's been two days since she got invited by a random stranger, and Kita is still in a good mood. Not only because she got free food and a pleasant conversation with someone who didn't spit on her face, but also because she received valuable information.

During the three hour conversation she had with the shinobi named Taizō, Kita learned more about the history here than all the other people she had talked to. More specifically the Hokages, since Taizō made a comment about the second Hokage being his all-time favorite. And because Kita's second name is "curiosity" alongside with "noisy", how was she going to let such an opportunity go to waste?

That's how she learns more about the Second Hokage, for example. How according to Taizō, the second Hokage's (_something like Tober...tablerama...turnip...rama…?) _wonderful "vision" managed to create a lot of the facilities this village has, like the Police Station, the Library or even the Academy.

Personally, Kita thinks that the so-called "vision" is common sense, but she had the feeling Taizō wouldn't have appreciated it. When Taizō asked him what was her favorite, she lied and went with the fourth's. The next morning, she asks about the Fourth to Tamiko.

Except that she doesn't get to finish the question before Tamiko spits on the ground and curses the late Hokage's existence. She stares dumbfound how the sweet caring grandmother, Tamiko, curses the existence of the Hokage before declaring that in this household they don't mention his name.

"Never say his name again." She hisses. When she asks why, Tamiko spits on the ground _again_ and tells her that he's a _technique stealer_, who reached fame for using their family knowledge. Two days later as she nurses Naruto, she opens her bag and eyes the book she bought the other day.

_A brief history of Konoha's leaders._

By the end of the third chapter, Kita's mind is filled with questions. Why does Tamiko hate so much the fourth Hokage? What secret technique? The only thing that is written there was Namikaze Minato was also known as Konoha's Yellow Flash. A man who became Hokage when he was about Kita's age and lasted about a year before he died for the village on October 10th.

But the biggest answer is, what could have happened for Tamiko to hate him so much?

* * *

It is the second day of her tea hunt and Kita is already tired. She doesn't want to bother Tamiko with another day of babysitting, so she's carrying Naruto in a baby wrap sling. Since his neck muscles aren't strong enough can and he can't hold his head up without any wobbling, Naruto's facing her for safety.

Plus, Naruto likes seeing her face. The mission is pretty simple; go to the Nara district and search for Tamiko's tea. The district is far from her house, but if she hurries, they both will be back by lunch. And most importantly, Tamiko will have her tea and everything will be alright.

It's a thirty-minute trek, but hopefully, it won't take long. As the sun rises, the streets fill up with people doing their usual business. There was a lot of commotion today in the village. Children being herded to the academy, shinobi running on rooftops and vendors putting their product. Every once in awhile she could glimpse shinobis walking alongside three kids.

Naruto falls asleep.

"They're preparing for the chunin exam," A vendor tells her once she buys a bottle of water. Naruto snores without a care in the world. "So they're working hard to reconstruct the village. It's scheduled to happen by late november."

"Oh," She says, unsure of what to say next. It's some tournament where people fight to death, right? Luckily enough, the vendor takes pity on her and gives her some directions, that ends up with her buying Kombucha. She also find another bookstore on her way back home so… guess who's going to read the recently published Icha Icha sequel, uh?

* * *

Her hands are sweating and she's looking at Tamiko who is watching her, as she drinks Kombucha. They're in Kita's bedroom and she's massaging Naruto's tummy with her fingertips in a circular, clockwise motion to aid his digestion. Why?

Because Naruto's got the colic, _again_.

"Can I taste it?" She asks as Naruto lets out an unhappy grunt. Change of strategy. She bend his knees and slowly rock his hips from side to side, aiming to keep the top half flat on the bed.

"Sure," She responds. She lays Naruto, and grasp the drink Tamiko's holding. She takes a brief sniff and her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"It smells like a _public restroom,"_ She mutters, examining the drink closely. She takes a sip. Her expression of distaste speaks volumes.

* * *

Naruto is five months old. A month full of transitions and new developments. Naruto can now sit unsupported for a few seconds at a time, roll over and sometimes he rocks his little legs.

He can also hold his sippy cup by himself, so he's definitely part of the big boys club. He is also starting to make sense of sounds so whenever they're walking in the streets and a dog barks, Naruto gets interested. He even turns his head at the sound of his own name.

He also likes music. Whenever Kita sings him his repertoire of Disney songs Naruto claps, smiles, and maybe even babbles along. As to what games Naruto likes to play well…

"Peek-a-boo!" She whispers and Naruto _giggles._ He claps excitedly, and smiles. The first couple of times they played the game Naruto thought she was _gone _for good, yet now he can sort of understand the concept of object permanence.

She picks him up and soon enough Naruto cradles against her chest for warmth. After three months of caring, Kita still doesn't consider herself as mother material. She's no parent. No Pinterest Mom or even those YouTuber moms she liked to binge-watched. She's impatient and naive. Unlike all the other women in the village who look like they have it together, Kita is one hot mess. She's so amateur it's almost painful to watch. And even after months of changing diapers and nursing Naruto, Kita is still going blind with most things that are related to this whole baby caring thing.

Then...the thought of her world passes through her mind and she halts in the middle of the hallway. Her heart starts to beat faster, because...what if she manages to go back after all? What about Naruto? Or Tamiko? Will she have to leave them behind?

Oh _god_.

She wants to get back to her world as soon as possible, but she doesn't want to leave Naruto behind. Because it's _Naruto._ The little bean that likes to cuddle and coos when she sings to him. The same Naruto that babbles every morning and that dozes against her chest. The one that drools in his sleep and his _smile_. There's no way to explain how he can make all these emotions that pass through her whenever the babe smiles at her.

And it _hurts so much _because she doesn't deserve him. As seconds goes by, the guilt only gets worse because, from the bottom of her heart, Kita knows Naruto deserves better. Someone who knows how to bath him the correct way or how to parent. Someone who's not thinking how to return to another world and leaving him behind. Someone who's caring for him out of love and not out of duty.

Someone who's not..._Kita_.

"Bah," Her concentration slips when a small tiny hand touches her face. It's Naruto, who's looking at her with a smile, that breaks her composure. "Baba."

"Hi Naruto," She croaks, wiping the tears away. God, why is she so emotional? What is wrong with her? Why is she crying so much? "Did you have a good time?

"Bah," He says more enthusiastic, spitting a little bit of drool on her blouse. "_Bah!"_

"Good," She says, nodding her head. "Anything else to add?"

A pause.

_"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-"_

She burst out laughing.

* * *

After another day of failed researched, Kita decides that she'll reduce her anxiety and her stress with a cheap, easy and visceral coping mechanism of hers.

Baking.

That's how she ends up covered in flour and soon enough the kitchen is filled with the smell of spices, sugar and flavor. It's a marathon. After three dozens of chocolate chip and brownie cookies, two pies and three different types of cakes, Tamiko interferes.

And since there are so many, she ends up placing a cake and two dozen cookies outside her home for the ANBU. They must be hungry with so amount of surveillances during winter. The next morning, there's a small note on her doorstep with a cursive handwriting that says _"Thanks for the food"_ with a hound and bear doodle. She opens her mouth to reply but then an unhappy heartbreaking scream resonates throughout the house. She shakes her head and goes back to the house to spoil the cranky baby before Tamiko wakes up. Thinking, that perhaps she can get accustomed to living here.

That maybe Konoha isn't that _bad_.

* * *

Two days later, as little Shisui is picking up rocks to play with his younger cousin Itachi to see who throws rocks better, he sees a sudden movement that catches his eye. He turns his head around, confused about who could be here at such an early hour. It's none other than Uncle Hiro's summon. He smiles, offering his hand and soon enough the crow is perched on his shoulder.

"Hi there," He says while walking around the river and petting the crow, deep in thought. Ever since Uncle Hiro left the compound, Shisui has been missing his uncle like _crazy_. Out of every member (except for Itachi and his family, obviously), he likes uncle Hiro since he's the best at kunai throwing!

The crow caws and opens his wings.

And plus, _everybody _knows that Uncle Hiro is the only one who has got the crow's contract, and crows are the _best_. When the crow caws again, he stops because if so, why is one of uncle Hiro's Crows here? Is he back? Is he lost? Fugaku-sama told them during this week's meeting that maybe Uncle Hiro got lost on his way back and if anybody has information on uncle Hiro's whereabouts they should notify him first and-

There's a small lump floating on the river.

He blinks once, twice before deciding to approach it. Despite his Kaa-san or Tou-san's advice ringing in his ears, he hurryingly runs to see what it is in case he needs to alert Fugaku-sama or one of his uncles.

The crow stays silent.

His body is tense with anticipation, kunai in hand in case this is a trap. It's a body, he thinks. He grabs a nearby stick and pokes it, in case the person fell asleep or fainted while swimming. It smells funny. It's only when he turns it to the side, to check that he realizes who it is.

It's Uncle Hiro's decomposing body floating on the Naka River. His eyes are missing. Shisui _screams_. The nearby crows gathered around a tree, caws in response and leaves.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thanks to 100pureawesomeness for beta reading!_

* * *

**Chapter 8**

As a shinobi, one of the many things they teach you is that as soon you set a foot into a battle, everything else stops mattering. Only serving the village. And while being a shinobi is many things, but there isn't a moment in which Rei wonders what her life could have been if she hadn't been picked up by _him_.

_Now it isn't the time,_ her mind tells him as she struggles to breathe. She knows she's still bleeding, after the last match, but she knows she won't get medical aid. Not before she wins this round. Her armor weighs down heavily on her, and she has a sick feeling in her guts.

The gates open and she watches how two people enter the arena.

She forces herself to concentrate.

"Attempt forty-two," She can hear the voice speaking from the other side of the room. "Thirty seconds."

There's sweat on her face, blood on her clothes, and the beginning of a headache. It's been two hours since the last time they gave her a break, but she _can't _fail. She's so _close_, so _freaking_ close to the goal, that she can't fail it.

She unsheathes her katana and looks at the hard eye of the leaf ANBU, now her enemy. This time it's only two.

She turns her head to the side and sees the timer set. Five minutes. Her breath is ragged, and there's this fear of not knowing if this time she'll make it through. A fear that began ever since one of her other opponents managed to slice part of her armor.

She doesn't know if she's still bleeding, but she would rather bleed than to not fail this test. It's a classic standard test, whenever ANBU wants to know if their members are still functional to the village.

Rei only hopes she doesn't fail. She can sense on the other side of the room, all the examiners silently judging her. And in between the multiple people watching the spectacle, she can sense _him_, seated not too far from the Hokage.

The timer beeps, signaling the battle is about to come. She closes her eyes; takes a deep breath despite how much it burns to even _breathe_ and concentrates on the two people she must incapacitate in less than five minutes. She would have gladly done that in less than two, but ever since her last batch of poison ran out in attempt number 29, she has been forced to improvise.

Yamanaka Jin and Aburame Daito take position too, signaling that they will go soon. Probably go for her left side, that's still tender after being hit by Fox's rock wall and what made her cough up blood.

Three hand signs and with a katana in hand, Rei goes to battle.

* * *

She's having a dream.

She knows she's in some sort of dream because there are arms that are holding her down and right in front of her is Tamiko, frowning. Before she can open her mouth, someone tightens his grip and there's a sudden flare of pain to the point where her eyes water.

The rest of the room, filled with people, is silent. She can faintly smell some incense burning, and strangely so, the room feels very familiar. Like she was once there, except...she doesn't remember ever being here.

"I found her near the container," One of them says. She looks up, and it's a young man, with the Konoha hitae ate on his forehead. There's a sword strapped on his back and a tattoo on his left arm. Perhaps this kind of outfit would have made her raise her eyebrow at the other, but after living for more than three months in this strange world Kita has grown accustomed to seeing the eccentric looking attires.

"_Again,_" He stresses.

"This is the third time we've caught you actively seeking the container Kita," Tamiko says with displeasure. She can sense the disapproval from all the room emanating in waves. Especially Tamiko, which she can sense she's furious. What container? She wants to ask.

"You know it's forbidden."

And while under any other circumstances, Kita would have immediately apologized, it's hearing those exact words to her raise her head and look Tamiko right in the eye.

"I want to be friends with her," The words come out angry and rapid. Too unlike Kita. And before she can get a hold of herself, her mouth starts speaking out of its own." Why can't you let me live my life the way I want?

"Is that so?" Tamiko asks, simply arching one eyebrow. Kita has the impression that this topic has already been talked about too. "Despite the possible consequences of being discovered. Despite knowing that if the container or the Hokage ever _know _about our lineage, the whole family will be in danger?"

"You preach about defending our family, yet you have absolutely no shame in abandoning her too," Someone from the room gasps, but for some strange reason, has no time to deal with this type of nonsense. While the rest is stupefied with her statement, she uses that exact moment to break out of the other's grasp. "She's in Uzumaki in both name and blood. Yet you don't _care_."

"Is that what you think of me, Kita?" Her voice is for some reason deadly calm. A chill runs up to her spine when Tamiko stands too. She's no ninja, but for some reason, the other Kita keeps her ground. Her body is filled with anticipation and adrenaline. "After everything I had done for you?"

_Just watch, please._

_Don't fight it._

_Let me show you_.

"Don't twist my words," The other Kita whispers while gathering whatever courage she has left in this body. "Don't you _dare_ twist my words. For this clan, I have allowed being tainted and enslaved by your endless paranoia and-"

"Get out," She blinks when Tamiko points at the door. All the anger and twist into something else, when Tamiko doesn't say anything else. _Fear, _she realizes because the similarities between this and the time she was kicked out of her family are so hard it _hurts_.

"Get out and never return."

"Obaa-san," She tries to speak, but her voice comes out wobbly and simply _wrong_. "What do you mean-"

"Watanabe Kita," Tamiko states, her eyes cold. "You have stated your goals, and I think that no matter the amount of convincing from myself or the rest of the clan, nothing will be able to change your mind, so you are free to do whatever you want. Get out and never return."

"I-"

"You have one minute to leave or else my men will drag you out," Tamiko says next. "If next time we find you near the compound, we'll apply the security measures approved by the Hokage."

And before she says anything, she gets kicked out. She leaves with no money, no belongings, only her identification and the shames that comes with being pushed through the main door, barefoot. The clothing feels heavier when it starts to rain. And soon enough she feels cold when her clothes end up soaked.

But unlike her other world, because she remembers sinking into a great depression and it was only four years later with the help of many psychiatrists, this Kita doesn't quite sink. While her heart is heavy and broken, she keeps her head straight and keeps walking. Even when her bare feet start leading her into an apartment in the middle of the village.

Why exactly is she there?

She has no idea.

But by the time she arrives, soaked from head to toes, and surely with a cold on her way, she knocks on the door. It's on her third time she manages to knock well because her hands are cold and for some strange reason, she keeps trembling.

"You're not a ninja," Is the first thing the man says to her. It's a Jōnin, probably in his late twenties. There's still blood on his vest and judging by the bloodshot eyes there's a high probability she just woke him up. She doesn't say anything, still trembling and with her eyes focused on the ground.

"Wait," He comes closer, and then asks. "...Kita?"

"Why are you here?" The other Kita shuts her eyes, hands unconsciously traveling down to her stomach where the small living thing is growing inside her. This is perhaps her only chance but having to seek the man that got her pregnant in the first place is quite a frightening thing indeed.

"I need a place to stay," She says, voice breaking at the end of the sentence. While the night surrounding the events leading to her getting pregnant is still fuzzy, she _knows_ Sarutobi Taishi is not a bad man. Perhaps under any other circumstances, Kita could have easily fallen in love with him, she knows that now she can only that-

_Don't think about it_.

She opens her mouth, but no word comes out. It's only on her second attempt to speak because she _needs_ to explain to Taishi why she is here, what exactly happened. Except that her body refuses to cooperate, and all she can do is stand there with tears in her eyes, soaking wet at Taishi's doorsteps.

It doesn't take long for Taishi to figure out what happened.

"You've got kicked out," He says when she doesn't say anything else. She wants to scream that she's alright, that she's okay, but she _can't_ because for the last 24 years she has been living with the same people that didn't think twice in kicking her out.

Only because she had gotten way too near to the container.

"Hey," She looks up when there's a hand touching her back. Taishi offers her a smile, that for some reason, breaks her heart a little bit more. "It's going to be alright Kita."

So, in a moment of vulnerability and with a sudden spark of courage, the other Kita tugs Taishi's vest and closes the distances. Letting herself be hugged, by the person the other Kita had sworn to never be in contact. Yet now, she cannot deny that the warmth and all the reassurances falling out of Taishi's mouth makes her feel hopeful, that while her future is uncertain that maybe…

_She'll be okay._

The worst of all? Is that Kita can't wake up from this dream.

* * *

Morning hit Sarutobi Taishi like any other. As a thirty-four years old ninja who hasn't retired, Taishi could feel firsthand all the side effects that come with his profession. Days where the pain from the many wounds and scars he had acquired, throughout his whole career as a respectable ninja, was enough to make him doubt in getting out of bed at all.

It hurt.

A _lot_.

While one may foolishly think, that after many years' _shinobi_ can get accustomed to the endless pain that comes with their profession, Taishi would defer. He had long learned that pain is an invisible thing, open dispute unless it is one's own. And as an active ninja at this age, Taishi had a long history with it. It's the sacrifice he pays, by servicing his beloved village.

This time is not different from the others. By the time he tries to take out the covers, he must take a deep breath and count to ten. Because this time it's his back what is hurting. An injury that has yet to heal, after an Iwa nin almost sliced him in half in the latest mission he finished.

_One week ago. _

He slumps against the covers, almost defeated. There are old memories of the prognosis still in his mind. Memories of reassurances that with three months of physical therapy he would be back in shape, but he simply shakes his head, before throwing the covers and sits up. Because deep down Taishi knows it won't make a difference. Ever since Tsunade-Sama left, the medicine in this village hasn't been the same.

Perhaps the same injuries under Tsunade's care would have given him full mobility back, but now? Now? Taishi is counting the days to retire once and for all. But ever since the news of Uchiha Hiro found dead on the Naka River hit the general public, Taishi has the feeling he won't get to retire anytime soon. Because now paranoia has hit its course and there's nothing to stop it.

It will probably take _months_ for things to go back to normal. Despite Taishi not being in touch with his clan ever since Hiruzen-sama took office, he knows it's only a matter of time to be summoned back to his clan's land. The Naras, Akimichi, and Yamanaka have done that with their disperse members.

He can only imagine the political nightmare both the Clan Council and Hiruzen-Sama will have later this week. While he hasn't been able to talk to someone, since most of the village is on lockdown, he knows that Fugaku is _furious_.

The Uchiha elders are probably screaming for revenge.

Especially after finding out that Uchiha Hiro had never been entrusted with a mission, meaning that he was taken down _inside _the village. Whether it was an enemy or a long fallout with someone, the Uchiha clan declared that until they can find the culprit, they will be on total lockdown. The Hyūga's followed them soon. In fact, the only reason why his teammate Hyūga Hisato (Boar) has been allowed to go out at all had been because he's the one of the ANBU members guarding the nine-tails host.

Taishi sighs, before taking out the covers. As a Nara would say, _what a drag_. This situation is slowly getting out of hand and after doing C mission yesterday, he feels tired. He slowly walks from his spartan bedroom to the kitchen in the small apartment he has.

It's so tiny it's almost ridiculous.

But it's the only thing he got since he's most of the time out of the village. And while he did have the option to stay in his clan's land, there's nothing Taishi likes more than privacy. He scratches his back, careful to not pull out his bandages, and waits for the water to boil, deep in thought.

Thinking how exactly the rest of the ANBU squad are going to survive this hellish month, since this is the third member that passed away in mysterious conditions. Hiro had been the second who perished while having a dōjutsu.

And while Uchiha Hiro had been a fairly "new" member of their organization, he was a pretty good kid. Always the good guy who would crack a joke while they were in the middle of an operation, or how much he would complain about paperwork.

It's sad, having to realize he'll never get to hear Hiro's complaints anymore. He clicks his tongue. This is worse than the time they found Rei almost beating to death on the outskirts of the village, due to a passing squad of Kiri nin.

At least with Rei, they had at least a culprit but with Hiro? They haven't found _anything_. It's been two weeks since they found the body, but they have yet to get a lead. And this whole thing, is four times above his clearance, meaning his superiors are wanting to keep this under wraps.

Someone is knocking on his door.

He immediately takes out a kunai from his pocket, just in doubt, and looks at the clock plastered on the wall. Too early for an official. He grips _harder_ because ANBU officials don't knock on the door either. Out of nowhere, his mind brings him back the memories he had bowed to never remember. Memories about a young girl asking for a place to stay, soaked from head to toes, pleading if she could stay the night-

_"I need a place to stay," She says, voice breaking at the end of the sentence. She's shaking like a leaf. "Please."_

He shuts his eyes and grasps the wall. Does anything in order to not remember _her._ After what he made her go through, he doesn't deserve to even think about her. He knows it was for the best. According to what Hyūga Hisato said to him, the girl is doing far better.

She's now an asset. A C-4 type of asset, being only the nine-tailed host above her. Judging by the number of members entrusted to surveillance on her and the nine-tailed host, he _knows_ she's at a much better place than what she was only a year ago.

_If only…._

_It doesn't matter anymore_, he thinks, pushing those thoughts aside. Because sometimes despite what the hearts and body want, at the end of the day he must follow orders. Their (_and how strange is the feeling, of thinking he could have become a father_) baby never stood a chance. ANBU was very clear on that one. The moment his official knew about Watanabe, it was just a moment of deciding when it should be terminated. He just never had the guts to tell her what was going to happen.

Instead, he let her live the lie. He helped her assemble the crib, painted the room, helped pick out the baby name, knowing that the second he stepped out of the village his official would order to kill it. And unlike his other teammates who had similar experience, his superiors were comprehensive enough to make the abortion seem as natural as possible and putting Watanabe under a genjutsu so she wouldn't remember most of it.

And by the time he got back, the deed was complete, and the job was done. Even the Hokage mentioned it when Taishi gave him back the report, offering his condolences with a bonus for not protesting about it.

He slowly clenches his fist. The rules are very clear on that, ANBU _cannot_ have a family. Having kids only distracts them from their goal which is protecting the village and everything that comes with it. Kids and family are unnecessary to them anyways because-

"The village _is _my family," He mutters, ushering Watanabe Kita and the past they once shared. To his surprise, it's no other than Minato's remaining student, Hatake Kakashi, standing on the other side of the door. He can't help but groan when he sees the teen's hands shaking because it can only mean one thing, and he's still half-asleep.

So, he deviates, of course.

"Breakfast will be ready in ten," He says, letting him in. He eyes him, wincing when the carpet gets tainted with blood. The rest of the teen's body is covered in gore too. As he hands him a towel, he can't help but look at his emaciated body. He's thin. Way too thin for his liking. And he hates the officials a little bit more, for taking advantage of Kakashi's mental state and using that to do more missions.

He doesn't remember looking that way when he was fourteen. Sure, there was the second war going, but he never looked _as ragged_ as Kakashi. It's strange, seeing his late friend's student this way. He can still remember how his friend spoke so highly about him, the first time he was given a genin team.

Back when Minato had yet to take the hat and Taishi still loved being a shinobi. Now, he's older with more scars and without friends, since the majority died in the war, and with a different perspective on the shinobi arts. Back when he still believed he could make a difference.

He gives the boy one look, who hasn't moved and goes to the kitchen, deep in thought. Perhaps he was late to save Minato and Kushina or even his unborn baby, but he can still do something.

"The burial will be in one hour," He says, knowing that Kakashi's sensitive ear will pick it up. It's one of the many Hatake traits that made them so well known in the espionage department, until the second war came and swept them away. He glances back at Kakashi, who hasn't moved at all.

"Thanks, Sarutobi-san."

"It's nothing kid," Taishi comments as he grabs the turnip that Kakashi likes so much and thinks how exactly he is going to add it into the soup he was making, without making it taste like shit. Taishi is many things, but his cooking skill leaves much to be desired.

* * *

"I thought you had retired Taishi," is the first thing he hears the moment he enters the cemetery. Not too far is Kakashi, fiddling with the black clothing Taishi handed him, because the teen had forgotten to bring one. He looks comical, looking so serious while wearing a kimono two sizes bigger.

At least the sandals fit, so overall Taishi isn't that preoccupied.

He's one of the few teens there, since the rest of the Uchiha children are hidden, away from the prying eyes. It makes sense, how the Uchiha are going the extra mile for protecting the minors because they still don't know whether this attack will be the first of many or this was all one isolated incident.

He turns back to the voice that spoke and it's no other than Fugaku, leaning against a wall. They both share history being longtime buddies. Back when Taishi had been his superior official in ANBU, then they became war-teammates when they were shipped to Taki, until the war ended and Fugaku chose to follow his clan's duties and focus more on the Police Forces.

ANBU still misses the absence of _Kyōgan Fugaku_. Uchiha Hiro was good indeed, but there's nothing like Fugaku. And by the way, Fugaku is looking at him, Taishi has the feeling, that whatever thing he's going to say, won't be anything good.

Because if Kakashi looks bad, Fugaku looks _wrecked_. He has eyebags under his eyes, and he looks as if he could faint in any given second. He opens his mouth to offer his condolences, but Fugaku simply shakes his head and takes him farther into the clan's land.

Far away from the multitude.

"Did you know Hiro had summons?" He asks, with a side glance. His eyes are red, meaning that Fugaku is going the extra mile with this.

"I did," He says, unsure of how to proceed. While it isn't uncommon for Uchihas to have an affinity towards birds, crows were far more uncommon than one may think. "He used them on missions, whenever there was a need for quick back up. He had three."

"We also thought he had three." Fugaku comments, while taking out some pellets for the Koi. For every Uchiha that died for the village and honored their clan, they add one. Now there are eleven, in different shapes and colors, swimming in circles. "But he had one more."

That gathers his interest, immediately.

"More?" He asks as Fugaku starts feeding the fish. After doing missions with most part of ANBU, Taishi knows almost every single one of ANBU's summons. It's one of the requirements ANBU puts, establishing apart from their skills and background, a detailed archive of shinobi's summons.

"It was found by Shisui." _Ahh_, he goes, his mind already remembering Kagami's favorite grandson. While he didn't keep in touch after his teacher Kagami died, Taichi can still remember the small kid following Kagami-taicho _everywhere_, like a small lost duckling. _Uchiha Shisui, _the kid would introduce himself, even when his sensei tried to shoo him away.

There's a brief pause before Fugaku locks eyes with him and says.

"The crow hasn't returned to the summon dimension," Taishi eyes widened at that. He blinks when Fugaku doesn't add anything else because the implications behind that statement are _huge_. Out of all summons, Crows are proud and loyal things.

To the point where they will do anything in their power to follow their summoner's last wishes. When a summoner dies, their summons usually returns to their world, so another person can get the contract. So, for the crow to stay here, after weeks of Hiro's death can only mean that blood link between the summoner and summon is still alive and for that to happen it-

"Someone is using Hiro's eyes," He says, feeling the anger taking over him. As Kagami's student, Taishi knows a little about their traditions and how much Uchiha thinks that once dead, they should let the body rest in peace. To an Uchiha, someone using part of his Hiro's body is perhaps one of the biggest offenses.

Then he adds.

"And why are you telling me this?" He can't help but ask, still dumbfound. "I don't have the crow's contract, nor do I have an important weight on my clan to-"

"I want you to keep your eyes open for me in ANBU," Fugaku says, standing up and dusting the dirt on his pants. "There's someone out there, in Konoha, that killed Hiro and is using his eyes. And I want to find him."

"Because you think that whoever decided to go for Hiro," He says slowly realizing what "Had enough power to keep it under wraps and tramp the investigation."

"He decided to go for my people," Fugaku says without wasting time. His left hand, the same one that killed so many, is shaking with pure fury, and his Sharingan is twirling rapidly. "And for my people and my clan, I'm willing to do anything."

There's a brief silence and Fugaku adds.

"Anything to give Hiro peace."

"And what are you planning to do?" Taishi asks as Fugaku starts walking back. He momentarily stops as soon as Taishi finishes, turns to face him and chuckles.

"I have something in mind."

* * *

"I'm sorry Watanabe-san," The doctor breaks the news, as gently as possible, while on the other side Kita simply wants to _scream_. _Wake up_, she keeps repeating hoping for a miracle, _please wake up. _It doesn't make a difference, because the room doesn't change.

Nor does that stop the tears falling down her face. Out of all the possible memories the other Kita had, this one is perhaps the _most frightening and painful of all_. Having to experience losing the unborn child, and blood. So much blood and she _couldn't_ do anything-

"We tried everything we could."

Kita simply _screams_.

Two seconds later, she wakes up.

* * *

Kita twirls her pencil and looks at her pages, which sadly isn't filled with all the things she had been wanting to write in the first place. She's distracted. There are too many thoughts and ideas plaguing her mind, and while she has the pen and ink right in front of her face, she can't get her ideas straight.

Much more when there's a cranky baby protesting in her lap. A quick angry _bah_ distracts her from writing, and she looks down. It's no other than Naruto furiously pouting, wriggling his arms, doing everything in his babish power to evade going to sleep.

He's probably cranky for having to sleep since Naruto _hates_ to nap, but Kita knows it's necessary. The doctor said so, and the doctor's word is the law. Not too far from her is her knitting utensil and the letter she _must_ write to Lord Fire Shadow regarding Naruto's advantages because she's late.

Awfully _late_.

She's so past the expiration date that a Chūnin knocked on her door the other day, to remind her that she has until Friday to fill all the papers. And now, there she is..._doing absolutely nothing_. It isn't her memory, quiet, on the contrary, she has a pretty good one (one of the many perks that come with being a librarian).

It's more of _writing it_.

Because every time she picks up a pen and tries to write about it, she gets this sudden feeling of frustration...because she _didn't exactly ask_ to take care of Naruto. Having to write about all the development of the child forcefully entrusted into her care feels so _wrong_.

Not only that...but well...something happened in the village. If it makes sense. People are now _acting _weird, and more shinobi are doing rounds on the street. There's a curfew too. And all the police officers she knew have not appeared.

And as if that wasn't stressful enough, Tamiko has gone fifty shades of _crazy_. If Tamiko used to get sometimes overbearing, now she's ten times worse. Kita can't get out of the house without Tamiko trailing behind her. Kita can't even go on a walk without enduring Tamiko's fifteen-minute interrogations.

It feels as if she was on some type of house arrest.

The only reason why she isn't protesting much is Tamiko left some minutes before, for a meeting with the other clan's leader. According to what she said it was so important that Lord Fire Shadow even called the civilian ones and judging by Tamiko's rant, it means something big happened. And well...if Kita was being honest here, she's kind of relieved to not have Tamiko around.

All because of that stupid nightmare she had the two nights ago. A shiver runs up to his spine at the memory. It had all been so detailed, so _vivid_, which makes her wonder if it was even a nightmare in the first place. He hopes it's that and not Watanabe's leftovers memories, because if _so_…

Kita has no idea on how to proceed from here. She has so many questions, so many things she wants to ask to the point where it makes her head _hurt _from just thinking about it. Not only that...but she has the feeling the real Wanatabe Kita was hiding something.

And she wants to find out _why._

So, it's why, in the spur of the moment, her feet take her to Tamiko's room, once Naruto finally falls asleep. There's something...she can't pinpoint, and she wants to know _why_. And for some reason, it's the image of Tamiko, Kita, and that strange man that is stuck into her brain. She knows it _must _be in Tamiko's room, somewhere along with some sort of diary entry and-.

_Bingo_, she thinks, while hurrying to where she thinks it is. Except...that just as she's about to start looking in between the multiple scrolls lying around the room, there's a sudden noise outside.

It's a kid.

A _cute looking _kid.

Okay, a very _cute_ looking k-

"Wanatabe Kita?" A black-haired kid asks.

_You're not Batman, so don't even think about it, _her mind chastises, _we are not adopting him_. Right. She blinks and inspects him with more care, cuteness aside. He's small. Probably not older than eight years old. And if that wasn't strange enough, there's a _crow_ perched on his shoulders, on top of everything.

"Is that you?" The boy inquires, panting with such force that it almost makes her ponder if he had just run a 20 miles marathon. "Wanatabe-san?"

"And you are…?" She asks, not knowing how to even voice out politely why the hell is a small child doing here, on her doorsteps at 9 AM.

"I'm Shisui," The boy answers with a bow. _Uh_, she thinks, wondering if by some chance the little (and very cute, mind her) white and red fan stitched on the boy's back has some connection with the police force's logo, before quickly discarding. Knowing her luck, it may just be a coincidence.

"And I need your help, ma'am."

Ah, and he has good manners.

_Look at that._

"Come on in," She says letting him in, but before she can say something else, the boy's stomach starts grumbling. He quickly evades her gaze, suddenly more interested in the floor. She smiles, pats the boy's head and quickly leads him into the kitchen.

"Dinner will be ready in five," She says taking out a pan and ignoring the boy's protest on the matter. "Now, help me chop these vegetables, will ya'?"

* * *

Contrary to what many people may think, Danzo is patient. It's a principle he swore to never leave behind after his impatience and hesitation cost him his sensei's life. While it's been decades since Tobirama Senju died, there's no day in which Danzo doesn't remember his sensei's sacrifice.

In a way it was thanks to his Sensei's death that prompted Danzo in creating another division outside ANBU, to protect the village his sensei loved. And now, with seventy members in his hands, Danzo feels getting closer to the goal he desires with all force.

A goal that was stolen from his hands. While it's no secret that his sensei's had a gruesome favoritism in Hiruzen, Danzo simply _knows_ that out of all the shinobi in the village, he's the best choice on having the hat. But the final cherry on top came to the night where, a year ago, Hiruzen entrusted him that he would soon step down.

Seeing how his name was not on the list of potential candidates made him decide to go back to his original plan and take the hat by force. Now, with a new eye, he's powerful enough to once and for all complete his goals. The plan was already set and going...if _only _that Uchiha working in ANBU hadn't died.

Because now?

Now, he's under the spotlight. There's no movement he makes without Hiruzen knowing. It annoys him, _constantly. _

"Sir?" It's the timid voice of one of his subordinates that manages to bring him back to reality. "What are your orders?"

"Look for Uchiha Hiro's stolen eyes," He barks. "As soon as we can find the culprit, we go back to the main plan."

* * *

_If you liked this chapter or the story so far, please let me know! I love reading your comments and thoughts! Thanks to everyone who has given feedback! You guys rock! 3_


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